Learn To Fly
by SummerRain626
Summary: Leann and Daryl have been through so much already, but who said the zombie apocalypse would be easy? However, that doesn't mean you can't have fun ;) Sister fic. Sequel to Run For Your Life With Me.
1. There's No Place Like Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Leann!**

* * *

 _I'm looking to the sky to save me_

 _Looking for a sign of life_

 _Looking for something to help me burn out bright"_

 _I'm looking for a complication_

 _Looking 'cause I'm tired of trying_

 _Make my way back home_

 _When I learn to fly high_

* * *

We somehow made our way into a city. We were getting desperately low on supplies so we looked for the first store we could find and went in. The store was really dirty inside, there was stuff everywhere.

"We need water, food and batteries." Daryl informed me. "In that order."

"Okay. I'll check over here in the electronics section."

"All right. Take Jax with ya, okay?"

"Yeah. Jax, come'er boy." I called our blue heeler over. He ran right over to me. "Oh, yer such a good boy." I petted him.

We found him a while back, we were staying in a little house in a rundown neighborhood and he was there in an alleyway. I guess he found us instead of us finding him. He was a little prick at first, growling at us and wouldn't even let us get close. After a while of feeding and coaxing him, he came around and now he's the best dog in the world. He's my little protector, especially since it's harder for me to get around with my leg in a brace. Plus, it's a little harder with my missing finger, too. But…I'm doing all right.

I looked around for batteries and anything else that could be useful. I found a rack that actually had a few packs of batteries on them. I grabbed them and stuffed them into my bag.

"I found some batteries!" I yelled.

"…good girl." I heard my brother say from a distance.

I heard a noise behind me and quickly spun pulling out my gun. It was just Jax, he knocked over a can of frosting and was trying to eat it.

"Jax, ya cain't have that, it's chocolate. That's bad fer ya." I took it off him and put it on the top shelf. I grabbed a bag of chips and opened them. "Here, buddy." I poured them on the floor and he went to town. It made me laugh. I heard another noise this time more in the front of the store. I looked around the aisle but didn't see anything.

"Daryl?" I said, my brother didn't answer. I slowly made my way up there being very cautious.

All of a sudden, I was grabbed from behind and my gun was knocked out of my hand. The person kicked me in the back of the leg(my good leg) so that I fell. That's when I saw it was a man. He grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the door.

"Daryl!" I screamed. "Daryl! Daryl!"

Jax got there before my brother did and jumped on the man biting him. The man screamed in pain and let go of me. I reached for my gun, but Daryl was there first and quickly shot the man in the head with his crossbow.

"Good boy." Daryl patted Jax's head then ran to me. He helped me up. "You all right?"

"Y-yeah." I nodded. "Ow." I rubbed my knee.

"Yer not all right." My brother gave me a look.

"It's hurts." I said sadly.

"Yeah, it's time to go. We'll look fer a house or somethin' til yer better." Daryl helped me walk. "Come on, Jax."

* * *

We found these nice little houses. Eventually we'll find somewhere to be. To stay…hopefully. I was getting so sick of wandering around all the time. I just want to find a place and stay there. At least for a while.

"What about this one?" I said pointing at one of the houses.

Daryl nodded in its direction. "Check it out."

I returned his nod and headed up to the door. I was about to knock when I realized Daryl wasn't behind me.

"Ain't ya comin?"

"What? Ya scared?" He teased. "You got it. Come on, just like I showed ya."

I swallowed hard, turning around I quickly knocked on the door. No sign of walkers inside. "Jax!" I called and he followed me. I quickly opened the door and Jax ran in. I could hear him inside running around. He barked so I knew we were good. He knew what to do. I looked around and scanned the rooms quickly before going back outside. "It's clear."

Daryl just nodded. "I'll check the one across the street."

I agreed and went back inside.

I looked around for food and water first, but I didn't find any. The house was rather empty; not much furniture or pictures on the walls. I thought it was strange. What was even stranger was that there was a creepy ass doll in one of the rooms. Its black eyes were piercing, like they were looking into my soul. It had an expression like no other doll I had seen before. It just looked angry. Despite its creepiness, I couldn't stop looking at it.

I must have been in there for a while because the sound of my brother's voice startled me.

"Le? You okay?" He sounded worried.

I shook my head like I was trying to forget something. "Yeah, sorry."

"What are ya doin'?"

"I think I was in a trance." I laughed.

He seemed to let it go. "Come on." We left the house together. I took one last look at that doll before closing the door behind me. "Did ya find anythang?"

"No, did you?" I answered a little too quickly.

"Nah."

"Maybe we'll have better luck in the next one." I said walking toward the next house.

I went up to the door and knocked on it. Daryl was right behind me this time.

"Oh yer comin' with me this time?" I teased.

"Yeah, well, wouldn't want ya to go into another "trance."

I huffed opening the door, Jax ran inside. "I was! There was the creepiest doll in there. It hypnotized me!"

"Okay." He snorted.

We heard Jax bark and knew it was safe to go in.

I checked around in the kitchen, Daryl went into the living room. I found some cans of fruit and put them in my bag. Then I went down to the basement and surprisingly there was a half empty case of water! I grabbed the remaining bottles and put them in my bag as well. On the wall, there was a painting of a little girl with red hair. Someone drew an X over it. That's so weird. Who would do that and why is this painting in the basement anyway? I didn't waste my time thinking about it, though. I hurried up the stairs.

"Daryl, I found water!" I called. He didn't answer me. The house was too quiet.

"Daryl?" I looked in the living room, but he wasn't in there. I turned the corner to see him in the dining room. He was motionless.

"Daryl?" He didn't respond to me. "Daryl, are ya okay? What's wrong?" I began to panic. I shook his arm. "Daryl?"

"Oh!" He said suddenly, making me jump. "Sorry, I was in a trance." He smirked at me.

I was mad that he was making fun of me, but relieved that he was only joking. I let out a little laugh. "Yer a jerk." I walked away and out of the house. I started in the next house without waiting for Daryl. I noticed it was getting dark.

As soon as I walked in, there was a terrible smell. I choked and put my shirt over my nose. I soon found out that the horrible smell was a pot of food that was on the stove in the kitchen. I couldn't tell what it was, or what it used to be, but there were maggots all over it. I wanted to puke. I looked over and saw Daryl.

"Want some dinner?"

He looked in the pot and grimaced.

We quickly checked for food and left because we couldn't stand the smell.

* * *

The next few houses we checked in had no food or anything. My brother would find some way to tease me about the "trance" incident in each house. In this one house in a bedroom upstairs, there was a doll collection so of course he had to make another remark. He stopped me and turned me around so I was looking at him.

"What are ya doin'?" I said.

"Just makin' sure yer still with me." He let out a little laugh.

I was starting to get annoyed. "Okay, can you stop?"

His face turned serious again and he was giving me a questioning look.

I walked down the stairs and out of the house. I started to feel stupid while going into the next house. It's not something to really be mad about.

"Sorry." Daryl apologized while walking into the house. "Don't be mad."

"It's fine." I put my head down. "We should stay here. It's gettin' dark."

The rooms were clear, but on the wall in the living room, someone wrote "There's no place like home" in blood.

I was just staring at it.

"Maybe not this one." Daryl said.

"…no, it's fine." I said. "It don't bother me." He just looked at me. "Does it bother you?"

"No." Was all he said.

"So, then I guess it's settled." I sat down in a chair.

"Guess so."

* * *

We were eating the cans of fruit I found. I also found some wine in the basement, but I didn't say anything to Daryl considering all that happened with me back at that place with the drugs and the alcohol. However, it was as if he read my mind just now because he said he wished he had something else to drink.

 _Don't say anythang, Le. Don't say anythang'._

"I'll go look." I said.

I went directly to the basement. I stared at the bottles of wine on the shelf debating whether or not I should mention anything to Daryl.

"No." I said. I started to walk away when something caught my eye. There was a little rug under the stairs. That's a weird place to have a rug.

I was about to laugh it off and go back upstairs when I saw that it looked like there was something poking up from it.

I had to go over and see now. I lifted the rug…and what do you know? There was a handle to a door. _Is this like a trap door or something?_ I grabbed the handle and opened the door. There was a flight of stairs. I grabbed a flashlight and shined the light down there, but I couldn't see anything. However, my curiosity got the better of me and I went down. It didn't smell very good. I kept stepping on rocks or something. As I was walking forward, something hit me in the face. I thought it was a spider web at first, but then I reached out for it and realized it was a chain for a light. I pulled it and to my surprise it came on, it was very bright so I had to turn my head quickly. It took a little for my eyes to adjust, but when they finally did…I regretted ever coming down here.

There were skeletons chained to the walls. There were five of them! And there were tortuous weapons alining the walls! I began panting and freaked out. I ran up those stairs faster than ever even with my limp leg. So fast that I ran into Daryl who I didn't even see. I screamed and he caught me.

"Shh calm down." He said. "It's okay."

"No." I cried.

"What happened?"

I couldn't speak. I just pointed at the hidden door where I just came out of.

Daryl left my side and went down. He came back up moments later. He didn't say anything just shut the door and covered it back up with the rug.

"That…that happened before." I said. "The bones are too clean. There's no flesh or anythang left on 'em."

He just slowly nodded his head.

"We're in a psycho's house." My lip quivered.

"We don't have to stay here. We'll just stay for the night and leave in the mornin', okay?"

I nodded sadly. Then, I took a deep breath pulling myself together. "There's wine." I mentioned.

"You knew that was down here, didn't ya?"

I laughed nodding my head.

* * *

"I didn't wanna tell you about the wine cuz yer a mean drunk." I said while we were in the living room drinking.

"What'd ya say? I'm a mean drunk?"

"Yeah." I laughed. "Ya always was. We get into fights, 'member? Well, 'cept fer that night at the CDC."

"Oh yeah." He said. "Well that wasn't all me."

"No, but you started it." I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him.

He was staring at me. "Alright. Gimme yer wine."

"Why?" I pulled my glass closer to me.

"You ain't mature enough to have wine."

"Go to hell." I laughed.

"I'm already there."

I laughed and finished my glass. I poured another.

"Don't get sick." Daryl warned.

"Don't get sick." I imitated him the best I could. The look he gave me made me laugh really hard.

"You keep makin' fun 'a me, Imma lock ya in the basement tonight."

I stopped laughing and became serious. I got a sickening feeling in my stomach. I thought about what I found down there earlier. Those poor people. What they must have gone through. A chill went down my spine and I shivered. I put my wine down.

"Le, I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't 'a…"

"I-I know." I slide off the couch onto the floor, and pulled my knees up to my chest.

I sat like that for a while, no one saying anything.

"Are you alright, sissy?"

"Yeah…I'm just…" I looked up at Daryl. "That guy…in the store earlier, he was gonna kidnap me. He coulda done somethin' like that to me."

He came over and sat down on the floor next to me. He put his arm around my shoulders. "It's okay. I ain't ever gonna let nothin' like that happen to ya. You hear me?"

I just nodded.

"It's okay. Yer okay." My brother hugged me tightly and kissed the top of my head.

"What was the guy gonna do? I mean…he didn't just wanna kill me cuz he coulda if he wanted."

"I don't know. Just quit worryin' about it. He's dead." He pushed my hair back.

"I don't like when thangs are left unanswered."

"Me too." Daryl said.

I looked down sadly and reached over to pet Jax for comfort but realized he wasn't there. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen him for a while.

"Daryl? Where's Jax?" I didn't try to hide that I was alarmed.

He gave me a look then yelled, "Jax! Ay, Jax, where are ya, boy!"

"Jax!" I called too.

We heard a bark then he came running. He had something in his mouth. Once he got closer, I realized it was a bone.

"Where'd he get a—" then it hit me. "Oh my God! Jax spit that out! Ew, Jax, no!"

Daryl laughed.

* * *

We went to bed soon after that. Daryl slept in one of the chairs and I had the couch. Jax slept next to me on the floor. I was awakened by a chill. I got so cold all of a sudden. I went upstairs to find a blanket. It was too dark to see up there and I didn't bring my flashlight. I wasn't going to go back and get it, though, I didn't want to risk waking up my brother. So, I maneuvered the best I could.

I made my way into one of the bedrooms and grabbed a blanket off the bed. I should get one for Daryl, too. So I got another.

I tried to be as quiet as possible coming down the stairs, but I kept tripping over the blankets. I bet it would look real funny as a scene in a movie.

When I got back in the living room, I put Daryl's blanket next to him in case he woke up and needed it. Then, I laid back down on the couch and covered myself. That's so much better.

"You okay?"

I lifted my head to look at my brother. Damn, I must have woke him up.

"Yeah, I just went to find some blankets. It's like freezin'. Sorry, I woke ya up."

"You didn't. I actually never went to sleep."

I blinked.

"Kinda hard to sleep like this."

"Oh. Do you want the couch?" I started to get up.

"No, that's okay, baby." He got up and put his blanket on me. "Go to sleep."

"Where ya goin'?"

"Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep."

I shrugged and laid back down.

* * *

When I woke up, Daryl wasn't in the room with me. I checked around but couldn't find him. Eventually, I realized that he was outside. He had a shovel.

It didn't take me long to realize what he had done. He took the bones from that room in the basement and buried them. I was touched.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Well, you know…let's just say I did fer Jax. So's that he doesn't take no more bones."

I laughed. "Thank you." I hugged him, he hugged me tightly back and kissed my forehead. "You should get some sleep. You was up all night."

"Nah, I'm fine." He started walking back inside.

"No, ya have to. You didn't get any sleep cuz of me. That makes me feel bad."

"Le, I'm fine. It's okay."

"Please, Daryl." I begged. I didn't want him to get sick. No sleep is dangerous.

He looked at me for a moment. "Alright. I guess I could sleep for a few minutes."

I smiled. I was relieved. I watched him lay down on the couch. "Hey, if anythang happens, you wake me up."

"Of course."

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. He must really be tired. _Poor Daryl._

It's my fault for being so emotional. I wish there was something I could do for him. I know! I'll go out and look for something special for him! That's a great idea!

I grabbed my bag and made sure Daryl was still asleep before quietly leaving.

* * *

I checked in a few of the next door homes, but so far I didn't have any luck. There was a little glass shop down the hill at the end of the road. I decided to look in there.

There were a plethora of little glass figures. There were people, animals and little objects like pipes. I would've had fun with those months ago. I laughed inside then shook that thought. That's not me anymore.

Then, I found little glass weapons. They had knives, guns, poles and…crossbows! No way! I found a little glass crossbow that looked exactly like Daryl's! He'll love it! It even had a little key ring attached to it so he can use it as a keychain. I grabbed it and wrapped it in tissue paper. I was so excited to give it to him, I practically ran back to the house.

* * *

I quietly walked inside and went straight into the kitchen. I put my bag down on the table and emptied the contents that I found in some of the other homes. I left the crossbow in there, though.

Suddenly, I felt the hardest smack ever on my butt. I screamed and turned around quickly. "Ow ow, Daryl, ow." I rubbed it immediately. Jax came running into the kitchen to my aide, I guess because he heard me yell.

My brother didn't say anything just looked at me. He didn't look angry, which kind of scared me.

"Where the hell were you?" He asked calmly, but he sounded more worried than angry.

"I-I went to find some supplies."

"Yeah. So ya just leave?"

I gave him a weird look. Is he serious? I thought we were passed this.

"What if somethin' happened to ya? And I'm here sleepin' on the couch? It's a lot easier fer ya to get hurt now. Or what if someone would've come here, huh?"

"I'm not a little kid. I can take care of myself! I don't need a babysitter!"

He walked closer to me, and I actually got a little scared.

"I don't care how old you are, ya don't wander off by yerself! Do I do that to you? Do I just leave without tellin' ya where I'm goin'?"

"Well…you did last night."

"I didn't leave the yard. Don't be a smartass!"

I backed up against the counter and put my head down. He's right, I'm an idiot. That was unfair and stupid of me. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinkin'. Won't happen again." I was embarrassed that he was scolding me. I felt like a stupid, irresponsible little kid. I couldn't even look at him.

I heard him sigh. "It's good that ya found more food."

I just nodded.

"Did ya have any trouble?"

"No." I slowly walked away. I wanted to be alone so I went upstairs in one of the rooms. I sat down on the floor and leaned my back against the bed. I rested my chin on my knee.

* * *

I heard footsteps and knew Daryl was coming. I didn't even know what to say to him.

"Le?"

"…in here."

"Hey, ya okay?" I did not respond to him. "Ya don't have to punish yerself." He smirked. I readjusted my position. "You mad at me?"

"…no, I'm mad at myself. I feel stupid." I sat down on the bed next to him.

"Ya ain't stupid. I'm sorry for yellin' at you. Ya just…ya cain't do that. I know yer not a little kid, but it's dangerous, especially now."

"I know. I'm sorry, I left."

"And why didn't ya at least take Jax with ya?"

"I—I don't know. I wasn't thinkin' I guess."

"It's alright. Just don't do it again, okay?" He put his hand on my back. "Ready to get outta here?"

I nodded. My brother helped me up. Then he lifted me. "What are ya doin'?"

"Lemme carry ya down the stairs. Give yer knee a rest."

"Okay." I just let him.

* * *

"It'd be nice if we could find a workin' vehicle." Daryl said as we were walking.

"No, I'm good." I said. "That would require us to sit." He gave me a stupid look. "Yer handprint is on my butt."

"Oh yeah." He laughed.

"That hurt really bad."

"Well…good then. Quit bein' bad."

I looked at Jax behind us. "Ya know, yer lucky Jax didn't attack ya. He heard me yell and came to my rescue." I smirked.

"Yeah, but then he realized what was goin' on and knew ya deserved it. He don't do nothin' bad. He's a good boy. Ain't ya?" He petted Jax, Jax happily wagged his tail.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes.

Suddenly a walker came from around the corner of a building.

"It's just one." I said. "I got it." I stabbed it in the head with my knife.

We heard more groans. A few more of them came from around the building in different directions. Daryl went to kill them.

That's when I noticed more of them coming from the other side.

"Daryl stop!"

He stopped and looked at me.

"There's more!"

"Oh shit! We gotta go!"

We ran down the road as fast as we could. The walkers were following us. We need to slow down or we're going to get winded and they're going to catch up to us.

"Head for that buildin'!" Daryl yelled to me. "We'll trap them in there!"

The door wasn't locked, I was able to go right in. The walkers were catching up. We waited until they were right outside. They followed us in.

"We'll have to go out the window." Daryl said.

Daryl quickly hopped out first then he helped me out. I made sure Jax got out, too.

"Ahh!" One of the walkers grabbed ahold of my bag. I tried pulling but couldn't get it off.

"Just let it go!" Daryl yelled.

"No!" His present is in there! I can't!

"Leann!"

"I cain't!"

Daryl helped me pull. We still couldn't get it off of them. Then, he grabbed my hands which made me let go of the bag.

"No!" I yelled.

He pulled me along.

We ran down the road to safety.

Once we were far enough away, we stopped to catch our breath.

"Are ya crazy? Why wouldn't ya let it go?"

"I had somethin' important in there." I said sadly.

"Important enough to die over?"

"Yes." I whined.

Daryl paused. "Sorry, Sissy." His expression softened. "What was it?"

I sighed. "It was a present…fer you."

"Fer me?" He looked at me like he didn't understand what I was saying. "What for?"

"Cuz…yer always doin' thangs fer me and lookin' out fer me and stuff. I just wanted to get you somethin'."

"Aw, ya don't have to do nothin' fer me. I do that stuff cuz I want to not cuz I have to."

"Well, I wanted to, too. It ain't fair fer you to always be protectin' me cuz of my leg slowin' me down. I'm dead weight sometimes."

"Hey, never. Don't say that." He grabbed my face with one hand and forced me to look at him. "I mean it, Sissy. You are not dead weight and I don't wanna hear ya say that again…unless ya want another handprint on yer ass?" He let go of my face and put his arm around me. "What was it anyway?"

"…it was a little, glass crossbow keychain. It looked just like yers."

"Hmm…really?"

I nodded.

"Well, thanks."

I smiled.

"I thought ya was gonna say it was a doll."

My smile faded. "Really?" I shook my head and turned the other way. "Hey, look." I pointed at a truck that was behind a building.

Daryl went to check it. It started right up.

"It works." He smirked. "Hop in, sweetheart."

* * *

"You think we'll ever find a place where we can stay for at least a while?"

"I hope so." Daryl replied. "We're gonna head north from here."

We drove out of the city.


	2. Room Service

"What's goin' on?" Daryl stirred in his sleep. "Why'd ya stop?"

"We're out…again." I informed him. "And there's no more gas in the can either, so we're like _out_ out this time."

"Great." My brother said sarcastically. He took a look around before saying, "Le…how long have we just been sittin' here?"

"Like an hour, forty minutes. I don't know."

"Well what the hell? Why didn't ya wake me up?" He said angrily.

"I didn't wanna wake you. Ya seemed like you needed sleep and I was right."

He didn't say anything just exhaled heavily through his nose, then started to get out of the truck. "We'll walk from here." Daryl stated.

"Should we go through the woods…?"

"No, we'll be fine on the road unless we hear someone comin'."

"Oh okay." I said nervously. "Come on, Jax."

As we were walking, I remembered something.

"Oh, Daryl, I forgot to tell you." I said reaching into my bag. I pulled out the laser lights I found. "I found these lasers in one of the houses we was lookin' around in the other day. We can use 'em to find each other if we ever get lost in the woods at night." I handed him one. He just looked at it. "They go really far." I shined mine on a tree. The light was green. Daryl must have the red one.

"Hmm, good thinkin'."

"Yeah?" I smiled.

"I ain't gonna get lost though, you might."

I huffed, he laughed and pinched my cheek. "Come on." He said.

* * *

We walked for a long time. It was getting dark now. I was feeling a little anxious because we're usually not on the road, especially at this time of night.

"Should we uh…head into the woods now?"

Daryl just looked at me. "What's with ya today, Sissy? You scared or somethin'?"

"No. I guess I've just got used to bein' in the woods is all."

"Ya wanna go through the woods, we'll go through the woods, but—"

"What's that?" I said pointing at something I could see through the trees. We walked a little farther and I saw that it was a sign.

"It's a sign. Can ya see what it says?" I asked Daryl.

"I cain't tell."

I didn't take my eyes off it as we were moving forward. I could see some of the letters now.

"M. O. T— MOTEL! It's a motel!" I figured it out. "Let's go!" I began running in the direction it was in.

"Hey, wait!" Daryl called. "Leann!"

I ran all the way there. I stopped outside because I saw something. Daryl caught up with me.

"Le—"

"There's a person." I whispered. We ducked down behind the trees.

"Do you see any others?" I asked. "Maybe we can— hey, what are ya doin'?" Daryl grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the road.

"I ain't wastin' my time with no more people." Daryl said.

"But there might only be that one guy and we can take that place." I suggested.

"Yeah and there also might not be."

"Daryl!"

"You were almost kidnapped!" He spun around, letting my arm go. I just looked at him dumbfounded. "…I'm not gonna let that happen again." I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped when I heard Jax barking. _Oh no! He's gonna get the man's attention!_

"Jax!" I yell-whispered. "Get over here, ya bad dog." I took a step forward but Daryl grabbed me.

"Let's go!"

"We cain't just leave him!"

"Yeah, we can! Let's go or so help me—

"Hey!" Someone yelled. It sounded like a man. "I know someone is there. Show yourself!"

I held my gun up ready to shot. Daryl was ready with his crossbow. We could see the guy now through the trees. Daryl gave me a signal to go around the other way. I snuck around as quiet as possible. I was behind the man. Daryl whistled and the guy looked at him with his gun up. Jax jumped at him and attacked. The man kicked him hard in the leg and Jax whimpered. I took my chance and hit him in the back of the head with my pistol and knocked him out, just like my brother showed me. Daryl grabbed his shotgun and I started patting him down checking for anything else. I found a picture in his pocket. It was a woman, must have been his wife or something.

Jax limped over to me. "Ya okay, boy?" I petted him.

"Damn it, Leann, let's go!" Daryl yelled.

"Hold it right there!" Someone else yelled. I quickly stood up, but held onto Jax so he wouldn't attack them. We were surrounded by people. _Damn._

"Drop your weapons." We obliged. "Now back away from your friend." I slowly backed up. "Check him." One of the guys said to the other. "He dead?" The guy who was checking him said, "no, just passed out."

"Who are you people and why did you do that to Rob?"

I waited for Daryl to say something but he didn't. "I'm Leann, and that's Daryl." I said. "And I knocked him out cuz he was gonna shoot us."

"That's a lie." The main guy said. "We don't hurt people unless we have to."

"It's true. He pointed his gun at us just like you."

The guy just stared at me. "Ay, Tim, take them away." He said without taking his eyes off us.

The Tim guy stepped up and pointed his gun at us. "Move." He said. We had no choice, we had to go with them.

He took us into what looked like a laundry room and locked the door. "Y'all sit tight in here." I heard his heavy footsteps walking away.

We were quiet for a minute. Jax whimpered and licked his hurt leg, I petted him.

"I'm sorry." I said without looking at Daryl. He didn't say anything. I hope he's not mad at me.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, another guy that we hadn't seen before came in.

"Hi, I'm Abner." He said. Neither of us said anything. "You two must have been through a lot."

"We have." Daryl said.

"Daryl? Is that right?" Abner asked. Daryl just looked at him. "You'll fit in just fine here."

"What?" I said.

"Y'all stay here, we got plenty of room. We could use people like you."

"Hold up." Daryl finally spoke. "We show up, knock out one 'a yer guys, and you want us to stay?"

Abner laughed. "Happens all the time. You two look like good people."

Daryl and I shared a look. "How many walkers you kill?" Daryl asked him.

Abner blinked. "What?"

"Just answer the question." I snapped.

"Well, I don't know. I haven't kept count. Maybe a few dozen or so."

"How many people have you killed?" Daryl asked him again.

"Three." Abner stated.

"Why?"

Abner looked kind of sad. "They were bit. Stopped it before they changed."

Daryl and I shared another look. I nodded at him.

"…You two look exhausted." Abner said. "If you come with me, I'll show ya to a room. Later on, I'll have someone show you around."

We followed Abner. He took us to the end of the building on the corner.

"How have you managed to keep the walkers away?" I asked him.

"Walkers?" Abner asked.

"The dead."

"Well…we mainly stay inside most of the day, and we try to keep the noise to a minimum. Our go-getters only go out once every week or so. We take as much as we can get." We stopped in front of a door. "This one should be good." Abner said unlocking the door. He handed Daryl the key.

I looked inside. There was only one bed.

"Sorry about the single bed." Abner said. "All the double room beds are taken."

"It's fine." I smiled. "Thank you."

Abner nodded. "I'll let you two go. Rest up a little. Let any of us know if ya need anything. Keys to a vehicle if ya want one? I'll have Tammy come down in a bit and bring y'all some supplies."

"Nah, that's okay." Daryl said. Abner gave him a strange look. "We'll only be stayin' the night. We'll take one of 'em trucks if ya don't mind and be out of yer way." Now I was the one giving Daryl a strange look.

Abner just smiled and said, "sleep on it and make your decision in the morning." He gave us our weapons and stuff back. Then he left.

I took a look around; the room was small but at least it had a roof is all I can say. There was a mini refrigerator, I opened the door and to my surprise the light came on and I could feel the cool air from it. I looked up at Daryl and smiled. Then, I went over to the sink and turned the water on. It was clear. The best part, though, was the bathroom!

"Oh thank God!" I said. "I can shower!" I laughed.

"Don't get too comfy." Daryl said.

I just waved my hand at him. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Room service." A woman said. Jax sat up and growled.

Daryl and I exchanged a strange look. "Shh." I said to the dog. I opened the door.

"Hi, I'm Tammy." A woman with dark brown hair said. She looked very friendly. "This is from the pantry." She held up a basket of supplies.

"Oh, thank you." I smiled taking the basket from her. "I'm Le this is—

"Daryl, I know." She finished for me.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Good news travels fast." She smiled looking at Daryl.

I gave her strange look. I'm not really sure what she meant by that. We stood there not saying anything.

"Well, let me know if you need anything." She said not taking her eyes off Daryl.

"Okay, thanks." I closed the door. "Well that was weird." I said putting the basket on the table.

"Yeah, see, these people are strange." Daryl said.

I laughed. "Ya ain't given 'em a chance yet."

He snorted.

"Let's see what we got in here." I said emptying the contents in the basket. "Toilet paper, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brushes and towels."

"Hmm." Daryl said. "They shoulda brought us clean sheets for the bed."

I laughed. "Nasty motel beds."

"Got that right."

"Speakin' 'a the bed…there's only one." I said.

"Yeah, well…you'll have to sleep on the floor."

"You jerk!" I laughed. "You sleep on the floor!"

"You'll find out." He smirked.

"I'll fight ya for it!"

He got up from where he was sitting and started fast walking over to me. I screamed and ran.

"That's what I thought." Daryl said.

I laughed. "Whatever. I'm takin' a shower." I grabbed what I needed from the basket and went into the bathroom but came back out. "Don't touch that bed 'fore ya shower." I laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." Was all Daryl said.

The hot water from the shower felt amazing! Oh, it felt so good to get clean. I got out, dried myself off and quickly changed into some clean clothes.

"Ah." I said when I got back into the main room. "So much better."

I started brushing my teeth. "You can go now."

"Nah, I'm good." Daryl said.

I turned around with my tooth brush in my mouth and looked at him. "Ew, Daryl, you are takin a shower."

"I said I'm good."

I spit the tooth paste into the sink. "Daryl Dixon, you get yer dirty ass in that shower!"

"Whoa! Okay, fine." He said. "Yes, mam." He grabbed his stuff and headed into the bathroom.

When I heard the shower turn on, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "that's how ya do that." I laughed.

Suddenly, I heard Jax whimper and forgot about his hurt leg. I sat next to him on the floor. "Hey, buddy. It's okay. Lemme see." I gently lifted his leg and he whimpered. "Aw, poor baby." I petted him. I looked around in the basket that woman brought for any gauze or anything to wrap his leg with. Luckily, there was some. I slowly and gently wrapped his leg. Daryl emerged from the bathroom with a towel around him.

"Daryl, I think Jax is hurt bad."

"What's wrong with him?" He said walking over while drying his hair with another towel.

"That bastard kicked his leg." I said angrily. "I wrapped it."

Daryl quickly looked it over. "He'll be all right. I don't think it's broke."

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah, he just needs to rest."

"Ya hear that mister?" I waved my finger at Jax. "No work fer you fer a while."

"Damn. Now yer bossin' the dog around. Ya sound more and more like a mom everyday."

I giggled.

* * *

It was late by the time we decided to go to bed. We stood there awkwardly and stared at the bed.

"What are we gonna do?" I laughed.

"We're gonna sleep in it." Daryl said.

"Really? We ain't done that in a while."

"Well, we're doin' it tonight."

"Don't say it like that." I smirked.

"That ain't what I meant, ya little sicko."

I giggled and got into bed. Daryl climbed in, too. I shivered because it was actually a little chilly in here.

"Ya cold?" He asked me.

"Nah, I'm good." I shook my head. "If I get cold, I'll just snuggle up to my big brother fer warmth. The heat radiates off ya."

"Just lay down and go to sleep." Daryl said.

I laughed and turned the lamp off. I laid down and made myself comfy. "Night, Jax." He was laying on the little bed I made for him on the floor. "He's a good boy."

"I could take 'im or leave 'im."

I huffed. "That's mean."

"Ay, I like 'im but he's a damn dog."

"Yer a liar." I mocked him. "Tough guy."

He hit my behind over the covers with the back of his hand. I laughed. He turned over and wrapped his arms around me. I smiled.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of knocking. "Room service!" Jax sat up and growled.

"Jax." I scolded. I looked over at the clock; it was eight in the morning. Then, I looked at Daryl.

The lady knocked again.

"Not it!" I yelled.

"Shh." My brother said then whispered, "maybe they'll go away."

I laughed. She knocked again. "I don't think so."

Daryl sighed and answered the door.

"Oh, good morning." It was Tammy again. I rolled my eyes.

"I brought you some breakfast." She smiled real big.

"…thanks." Daryl said taking the tray.

"So, how about I show you around later?"

"…uh…" Daryl said.

"Yeah, sure that'll be great!" I yelled for him.

"Great." Tammy said. "My room is 5330. Come by any time." She winked at Daryl before walking away. I busted out laughing as soon as Daryl closed the door.

"What's a matter?" Daryl asked.

"She likes you!"

"No she don't." Daryl sat the tray of food on the table.

"She wants to take ya on the grand tour." I laughed.

"So?"

"Daryl, she winked at ya for fuck's sake!"

"Ay, watch yer mouth."

I hopped out of bed. "So, what's fer breakfast?"

"I don't know. Let's see." Daryl said lifting the lid. "Looks like pancakes, eggs, and bacon."

"Mmm. All right!" I sat down across from Daryl. I grabbed a plate and we each took some of everything. I let Daryl have more.

"Can ya pass me the orange juice?"

He poured me a glass instead and handed it to me.

"Thank you."

"It's good, ain't it?"

"Yeah so good!" I said. "How about after we eat, we go over to yer girlfriend's room and have her show us around?"

He gave me an annoyed look. "How 'bout I tan yer hide?"

"You cain't spank me no more." I huffed.

"I can spank ya til yer thirty if I want."

"You'll be in a wheelchair by then." I laughed.

He laughed too. "Yer a little smartass this mornin'."

"I'm a smartass every mornin'." I laughed. "Jax, here boy." I threw him a pancake and piece of bacon.

"And I don't think so. I haven't even decided if we're stayin' here yet." He got up and sat his empty plate on the counter.

I just watched him. "What do ya mean? Why wouldn't we stay?"

"We don't know these people, Leann."

"Well yeah, we only just got here last night, of course we don't know 'em."

"Somethin' could happen before that."

"They brought us breakfast, Daryl! They gave our weapons back to us after we knocked out one of their friends! They don't know us either. I really don't think they're too bad."

"I ain't havin' this conversation right now." He said finishing his orange juice.

"Well, when do ya wanna have it?" I said smartly. "I got plenty 'a time."

"Watch it, girl." He narrowed his eyes at me.

I rolled my eyes. I began putting our dirty dishes back on the tray.

"Well if ya don't want to have Tammy show us around, then at least help me take this stuff back to the kitchen." I suggested.

"Alright. But no funny business."

"Whatever." I said handing him the tray. "I'll take this basket back, too."

I held the door open for Daryl as we went out.

"Hi." I said to some people in the hallway. They gave a friendly wave back.

"They don't seem so bad." I said to Daryl.

He just snorted.

* * *

We found our way around pretty easily. We left the tray with the plates and the basket in the kitchen and were making our way back.

We passed room 5330.

"Hey, Daryl, isn't that Tammy's room?"

"Yeah, I think so."

I got an evil idea. I put my fist out ready to knock on the door.

"Don't." Daryl warned.

I knocked on it three times before Daryl could say anything else. Tammy came to the door immediately.

"Hey, what can I help you with?" She gave us her friendliest smile.

"My brother, here, would like that tour now." I said.

"Okay, well what about you?"

"I'm just gonna have a look around myself if ya don't mind." I smiled.

"Oh, of course." She got an excited gleam in her eye. Probably because she can be alone with Daryl. "Just come on inside for a moment."

"Don't you go too far." My brother warned.

"Well have fun, buddy." I patted Daryl's shoulder. He gave me the evilest glare as he walked by. I just laughed it off.

* * *

 **Hey, guys! I hope you're enjoying this story so far! Do you think Leann and Daryl can trust these new people? What will happen with Daryl and Tammy?**


	3. Room Service Pt2

As I was walking around, I saw the guy I knocked out. Rob I think his name was?

"Hey," he turned and looked at me, "sorry 'bout yer head. I thought you was gonna attack us."

"Well I would've if y'all gave me a reason to."

I smiled. "Rob? Is that right?"

He nodded. "I didn't get your name, though."

"I'm Leann, but you can call me Le."

"Nice to meet ya."

"You too." I smiled. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." He laughed.

I laughed not to be rude. That joke is so lame. "Seriously, though, where are we exactly?"

"Why, we're in Fayette."

"Fayette?"

"Yup. Fayette county, Pennsylvania."

 _What? I didn't even realize we traveled so far!_

"Really? Wow. I had no idea."

"Where are ya from?"

"We's from Atlanta."

He raised his eyebrows. "You're far from home, Le."

"Yeah." I felt a pang of sadness.

"Would you like me to show you around?"

"No, that's okay. I'm just gonna go back to my room."

"I'll walk back with you then."

* * *

Rob walked me back to my room. We talked the entire way there, he seemed like a pretty cool guy. He was very nice.

"What happened to your leg if you don't mind my asking?"

I looked down at my brace for a second then back up at him. "Oh, uh…not at all, sir. I was in a car accident and my knife went through it."

"Youch."

"Yer tellin' me." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you seem to be getting around okay. You should have it looked at. We got a great doctor here. Might be able to give ya some good news."

"Really?" I perked up.

"Oh yeah. He's great all right." Rob smiled. "His office is right around the corner from here."

"Okay, thank you, sir!" I smiled.

"Don't mention it." He paused. "So are you and…"

"Daryl." I said.

"Are you and Daryl comin' to the bar tonight?"

"Say what?"

"You should come. We have a lot fun. Tons of drinks and good food."

"Sounds great. We'll definitely be there." I said. "What time?"

"Usually around seven or eight."

"Alright, thanks."

"I'll see ya there I guess."

"Yeah, see ya." I closed the door once inside.

 _Did I just agree to that? I wonder how Daryl is going to take it?_

* * *

I found myself at the doctor's office. We introduced ourselves, he was a very nice guy and funny, too! He actually made me laugh a couple times. I recognized him from before, his name is Tim.

"It's healing fairly well." He informed me while examining my knee. "Does the brace seem to help?"

"Um…I don't know. I mean…I guess."

"You should try not using it for a few hours and see how it feels. You may not even need it anymore."

I perked up at the thought of that. I hated having to wear this stupid brace. It made me feel like a freak. I just don't want anything worse to happen to it if I take it off before I'm ready. "Do ya really mean it? I—I mean…are ya sure?"

He nodded. "Just for a little while."

"Well…okay." I slowly slid off my brace.

"Walk around a little for me, okay?" He asked nicely. I nodded then got up and slowly walked around. My knee didn't bother me too bad. "How's it feel?"

"Pretty good, I thank." I lifted my leg and bent it a couple times.

"Good." Tim smiled. "Don't push yourself, though. If it starts to hurt, put the brace back on. No, dogsledding for you." I giggled. "I was also looking at your finger. Would you like a splint on that?"

"Does it need it?"

"Well, no, not really. I just thought I'd see if you wanted something on it?"

"Um…no, thanks."

"All right. Anymore questions?"

I shook my head.

"Okay then. You're free to go."

I gave him a big smile. "Thank you so much."

* * *

 _"_ No." Daryl said.

"Come on, just fer a few hours?"

"Hell no."

"Daryl, please?"

"I said no."

"Why?" I whined.

"I hate parties."

"…it's not really a party. It's just a bar."

"Don't care."

I sighed. "Okay, I guess I just gotta go all by myself then. There's gonna be tons of older guys there."

"I'm not goin' and neither are you."

"You cain't make me stay here."

"The hell I cain't!"

"Well I'm goin'." I stated.

"You do and I will come down there, throw you over my shoulder and bring you back here. Then we'll leave."

"I just won't go with you." I teased.

"I'll just throw you over my shoulder again."

I huffed. "Daryl, why are ya like that? Why don't ya ever want to have fun?" He didn't answer me. "I'm not askin' you to go and have a fun time with those people, I'm askin' you to go have a fun time with me." I smiled real big at him and hugged his arm. "You know ya cain't resist me."

He half grinned at me. Then he sighed and I knew he caved. "Alright, we'll go…but only fer a few hours."

"Yay!" I hugged him. "Thanks, big brother!"

"Yeah, well…" He trailed off and looked down at me. "Where's yer brace, little lady?"

"Oh yeah! Good news!" I grinned. Daryl glared at me. "I went to see the doctor here and—

"You what?" He shouted.

"…I—I saw the doctor."

He bent down to my level. "Without me?" My brother sounded pretty angry, I was confused. "What I tell ya 'bout talkin' to strangers?"

My face flushed. "Daryl…I ain't a kid no more."

"Yeah, ya are. Yer fifteen! That's a kid!"

I gave him an annoyed look. "Well…anyway, I went to see the doctor and he said my knee is healin' real good. Said I might not need the brace no more. He told me to take it off fer a while."

"And you listened to him?"

I blinked at my brother. "Well, I mean…he is a doctor."

"Yeah, well, he ain't me and I say put it back on."

"I cain't. It ain't time yet."

"Le. What if it makes it worse. What are ya gonna do then, huh?"

I sighed. "I know, I thought about it already. Just…just lemme leave it off fer a little longer, kay?"

He glared at me and exhaled sharply threw his nose. "Fine! But it's goin' back on when we go to that damn thang 'd night."

I giggled. Then I laid down with Jax. He seems to be doing better.

* * *

Later on, I took a quick shower then Daryl and I played cards until we had to leave.

"Whatever happened with Tammy?" I asked him. I scratched the back of my neck.

"Oh yeah, thanks a lot fer that." He glared at me.

"Yer welcome." I smiled sweetly.

"She's weird. She's takin' me all around the whole place, Smilin' and gigglin' all the time."

I laughed, scratching the back of my neck again. "I'm tellin' you, she likes ya."

"I don't care if she does or don't."

"Full house! I win!" I said. Daryl took the cards to shuffle them. I kept scratching at the back of my neck. I finally let out a moan.

"What's 'a matter?" Daryl finally asked me.

"I don't know, it itches real bad." I got up and stood by him. "Can ya see anythang?" I turned around.

"Yeah, ya got like six mosquita bites back 'ere."

"What? No! How?"

"Hold on, pumpkin, I think we got some stuff to put on that."

 _Pumpkin? He's never called me that._ I watched him go over to the sink area and come back seconds later.

"Here." He said. I put my hand out for it, but he went behind me and put some of it on his finger then rubbed it on the bites. "That should feel better."

"Thank you, Daryl." I said. I kept staring at him.

"What?"

"Ya never called me pumpkin before."

He shrugged. "Yer just pumpkin- _ey._ He smirked and pinched my cheek. I glared and smacked his hand away. He laughed.

After a few minutes, it stopped itching all together. I looked over at the clock and it was almost eight.

"We should go now." I said. I headed for the door.

"Hold up." My brother stopped me. "Forget somethin'?"

I looked back at him with a confused expression but then I saw him holding my brace. My shoulders slumped. "Cain't I keep it off fer at least a full day?"

"No ma'am."

"Daryl—

He came over to me and bent down to my level then put his face very close to mine. "Put that damn brace on or we ain't goin'."

I stared at him for a few seconds then smiled. "Yes, sir." I saluted him and hit him in the forehead with my hand.

He smiled and stood up. "Good girl."

* * *

The bar was super loud, you could hear it before you even got there.

"Looks like it's already happenin'." I said.

"Yeah, so much for keepin' the noise at a minimum." Daryl said.

I chuckled. I looked around the room for a place to sit. A young couple got up from the bar and left.

"Oh, look, we can sit there." I said.

"Nah, there's a table open back there." Daryl started heading towards it.

"That's in a corner."

"Yeah?"

"No one will see us."

"That's the point." Daryl said. I just followed him. I guess I shouldn't push him, at least he's here.

"I'll go get us a drink." I said once we got to our table.

"I think that's supposed to be my job. And I don't think I want ya drinkin' here."

"It don't matter." I waved him off. "What do ya want?"

"Mmm…I don't know…" He was biting the skin around his finger, nervously I guessed.

My shoulders slumped. "Well ya normally used to drink whiskey, right?"

"…yeah." Daryl shrugged.

"Okay, I just pick somethin'." I said quickly. "Be right back."

"No alcohol fer you." He called. I rolled my eyes.

"Hi." I said to the people at the bar. They all greeted me very loudly.

"What can I get for you, sweetie." The bartender said.

"Can I have two Jack and Cokes, please?"

He chuckled. "Two Jack and Cokes comin' right up." I was surprised he didn't question me.

This one guy kept looking at me. He finally spoke. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking and in a bar by yourself?" He smirked.

I glared at him. "No. And I ain't by myself. I'm with—"

"Me, she's with me." Daryl came up from behind me and put his arm around my neck pulling me closer to him.

The bartender handed me the drinks.

"You're the new comers, aren't ya?" One of the guys said. I recognized him from before but I don't remember his name.

"Yeah, we just got here yesterday." I said.

He took a big gulp of his drink and nodded. "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah." I took our drinks and turned to leave, but he stopped me.

"Why don't y'all sit up here?"

I looked at Daryl and he shrugged.

"Okay." I said.

Daryl hurriedly sat down next to the guy that was talking to me so he was in between us.

"I got us Jack and Cokes." I told him. "Hope that's alright."

"I said no alcohol fer you." He glared.

"Who cares." I went to take a sip but he took my drink away from me.

"She'll have a coke." Daryl then said to the bartender. I huffed and crossed my arms.

He stirred his drink with the straw, then took it out and took a big gulp. He was acting sort of strange.

"So, how do you two know each other?" One of these guys asked. "She your daughter?"

I almost laughed.

"She's my baby sister." Daryl said putting an arm around me.

My face flushed. _What? Why's he have to call me baby?_

"Oh, she's your sister?" The guy from before said. "That's good."

Daryl glared at the guy and finished his drink then started on the one that was supposed to be mine, I only just started drinking my coke.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I just didn't want ya alone around these guys."

"Oh." Was all I said.

* * *

The time passed. We drank and talked to those guys, people left, more people came in. We were laughing and actually having a good time.

"Hey, Darlin', can I get you a drink?" Some drunk guy came over and asked me.

"No, she's good." Daryl said putting a protective arm around me.

"I don't believe I asked you." He slurred. "What, can't the little lady speak for herself?"

"Yeah, she can, but the little lady is a little _girl_." Daryl snapped. "She's fifteen, ya perv."

My face flushed again. "Daryl…" I whispered.

"Hmm…fifteen, huh? Hell, I thought she was younger than that." The guy laughed and walked away. Daryl got up and followed him.

"No!" I tried to stop him.

It was too late though, Daryl punched him hard in the face. He hit the ground, he looked like he was in a daze.

"Ay, get a beer fer my friend, 'ere." Daryl said to the bartender. "Get a beer fer my friend."

The bartender handed him a bottle. Daryl handed it to the guy. "Get the hell out."

"Don't let the door hit ya in the ass on the way out!" The bartender yelled to the guy as he was walking out.

Daryl came back over to me and pushed the hair of my face then put his arm around my shoulders as he sat down. I just looked at him. "You alright?" He asked me.

"What the hell was that?" I ignored his question.

He threw his drink back. "Just havin' a little fun. You wanted to have fun, right?"

"Not my idea of a good time."

He just looked at me and didn't say anything.

I shook my head. "Let's just go." I stood up.

"No, no." He grabbed my arm. "Come on, sit back down and have another drink."

I wanted to leave but I saw that Daryl was having a nice time for once and I didn't want to ruin that. I sighed and sat back down. "Fine but no more fights…and I want alcohol this time. A Captain and Sprite."

"Fine." He agreed and called to the bartender.

* * *

I had a few more drinks and I was definitely getting there. I don't want to get too drunk, though. A couple of the guys were telling jokes, some of them were funny some of them weren't.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I said to Daryl. "I'll be right back."

I walked into the bathroom, there wasn't a line surprisingly. That's when I realized that there weren't many women here. I wondered why Tammy didn't come. Then I thought about how she drools over Daryl and I was glad she didn't come. She'd ruin his good time.

I looked in the mirror at myself. I looked different to me. I actually liked it, though. My hair was looking good that night. I smiled.

* * *

I don't know how much time had passed, but it felt like I was in there for a long time so I left and went back out to the bar. As I made my way over to Daryl, I saw that someone had taken my seat. Daryl was laughing at one of the jokes the guys were telling, he didn't even notice me when I came over.

I cleared my throat. "Daryl, where am I supposed to sit now?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby." He said. _"_ You can sit on my lap." He suggested.

"No way!" I scowled at him. He ignored me and he wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me onto his lap. My face flushed.

"Sorry, did you want me to move?" The guy who took my seat said.

"No, no yer fine." Daryl said. I laughed nervously.

"Want another drink?" Daryl asked me.

"No, I thank I'm good."

"Want some of mine?"

"Uh, no." I pushed his drink away.

"Come on, take a taste of that." He held it up. I took it this time and took a little sip. I grimaced.

"Ew." I said. Daryl laughed and pinched my cheek. I saw some of the people looking at us. My face flushed again. I wanted to get up but Daryl kept me there with his arm tightly wrapped around me. "Daryl, can we go actually?" I whispered. "I'm tired."

"Alright." He threw the rest of his drink back. "Imma go take piss then we can leave, all right?" I hopped off his lap and he headed to the bathroom.

"Aw, y'all ain't leaving yet, are ya?" One of the guys said to me.

"Yeah, we're gonna go but it was nice talkin' to you." I said.

"Nah, come on. Stay a little longer." He handed me a cigarette. "Have one of those."

I laughed nervously. "No, thank you."

"Come on. Just one."

"Nah, I cain't. My brother'll tan my hide."

He laughed. "All right. Wouldn't wanna get you into trouble, now."

I gave him a small smile. Daryl came back. "All right. Ya ready?"

I nodded. My brother put his arm around me and we walked out together.

"Are you okay?" I asked Daryl when we were outside.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good." He said lighting a cigarette that he must have bummed off one of those guys.

"You seemed like you was havin' a good time." I laughed.

"Yeah, we did."

"I'm glad we went. 'Cept when you was embarrassin' me."

"When did I embarrass you? I don't embarrass ya."

"You took my drink off me and called me a baby."

"Well…ya are."

"No, I ain't!" I glared at him.

"Leann, yer still a kid whether ya like it or not. So get used to it."

I crossed my arms over my chest.

We took our time getting back to the room.

"Hey, why was you in the bathroom fer so long? Did ya get sick?"

I thought for a minute. "No, I hooked up with one of 'em guys." I smiled.

"Oh yeah?" Daryl raised his eyebrows at me.

"It was the one ya beat up, he came back." I laughed.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, but then he asked me who my friend was. He liked him better." I giggled.

He threw his cigarette on the ground. "Comere!" He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder. I yelped. He smacked my bottom.

"Ow, hey!" I said. I ended up over his shoulder just like he said before.

He carried me back to the room like that. He threw me onto the bed once we got inside and we both laughed. Jax ran over to me and jumped up on the bed.

"Hey, Jaxy! Was you a good boy while we was gone?" I petted him and rubbed his belly. He was happily wagging his tail.

"Why'd ya tell those guys that I was yer _baby_ sister anyway?"

"I don't know." Daryl shrugged. "I didn't want 'em botherin' ya."

"So the solution was that yer my overprotective brother?" I laughed.

"Well you ain't ugly enough to be my daughter so I figured I'd stick with the truth."

"You ain't ugly, Daryl!" I hugged him from behind. He was sitting at the table. "You just stink." I laughed. He laughed and I knew he remembered the memory of me telling him that once when I was little. "Yer my favorite brother, by the way."

"Am I?"

I smiled and kissed the top of his head like he does to me. "Wow, I never realized how soft yer hair is." I touched it.

"Get outta here!" Daryl yelled making me laugh.

"Can I pull yer hair up in a ponytail?"

"What? Hell no!"

"Please!"

"No, get outta here."

"Please! I just wanna see what it looks like! I'll take it out right after, I promise!" I gave him "the face."

He sighed. "Fine."

I laughed and pulled my hair band off my wrist. I tied his hair in a high ponytail. "Looks good."

"Really?"

"No." I laughed loudly. He took it out immediately and threw the band at me.

"Never again."

* * *

We talked for a little longer. I'm not sure exactly when but we got into bed. I don't remember falling asleep but we must have.

I woke up at some point in the night and Daryl had his arms wrapped tightly around me.

I didn't care, though, I just snuggled closer to him and went back to sleep.


	4. Fools

We fooled yourselves again into thinking we could stay somewhere permanently. I thought sadly as I watched the building burn.

Everything is gone. All of our friends. Somebody attacked us…

* * *

"Thanks, Colleen." I waved at her in the kitchen as I dropped off a few things.

It's been pretty nice here. We haven't had any trouble and things are pretty easy going with the people.

"Hey!" I heard a voice say. It was grumpy old Mr. Renolds. My shoulders slumped. _Most_ of the people are pretty easy going. "You need to put that damn mutt on a leash!" He yelled at me.

I looked down at Jax who was calmly sitting there. "He ain't hurtin' nobody."

"Yeah, not right now but he will!"

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and walked away. "Come on, boy." I gave Mr. Renolds the finger when I walked by.

"Why, you little…

I laughed while walking away.

Daryl and I haven't had to do anything yet. Abner said we're still new comers and we'll get a job eventually. I'm going to have to talk to him about that, I think we have been here long enough to start pulling our own weight. Daryl did go out a few times, though, I stayed back involuntarily to keep the complex safe.

"Our crew is just too banged up." I heard a voice say as I was walking back to the room. I peeked in from around the corner. It was Allen, he was talking to Abner.

Anber sighed. "We're running out of things fast. We need these regenerators or we'll run out of power soon."

"We almost died last time." Allen said. His arm was in a sling.

"There has to be someone else who can go."

"I'll let you know if I find anyone." Allen said putting a hand on Abner's shoulder, then walking away.

 _This is a great opportunity._ I thought

"Abner, hey, good mornin'." I smiled.

"Oh, I didn't see you there, Leann." He smiled. "Good morning to you also."

"Hey, um…everythang okay?" I pointed at Allen, who was now down the hall, with my thumb.

He sighed. "Not really, no."

"What's goin' on?"

"It's my run crew. They're all pretty injured from the last quest they went on. They're not able to go get the things we need and they're important right now."

"Daryl and I could go." I volunteered.

"No, I couldn't do that."

"It's totally fine, it's about time we start helpin' out anyway."

"The two of you can't go alone, and we don't have anyone else that can."

I almost laughed. "We can handle it. Trust me. We's been out there for a long time and before that, too." Abner looked like he was thinking. "Just let us help, just this one time, okay?" I finished.

"Well…"

* * *

Daryl was sitting outside of the room cleaning his crossbow when I got back. He looked up when he saw me.

"Hey, what took ya so long?"

"I got lost." I said.

He snorted. "We been here for a month and ya still don't know yer way around?"

"I was jokin'."

I dodged the dirty rag that he threw at me.

"So, listen…guess what we're doin' today?"

"Hmm?" He said without looking at me.

"Goin' on a very important run."

"Yeah, and why's that?"

"This place needs regenerators or we'll lose power, and I thought—"

"No, that's not what I meant." Daryl finally looked at me. "Why don't he just get his "buddies" to do it?"

"They's hurt." I blurted out. "I'm not sure what happened, but they all almost died on their last run."

"So he wants us to do it?"

"Well, kinda… _I_ said we'd do it. _I_ volunteered."

Daryl let out a little laugh. "I ain't surprised."

"Well it's the least we could do. We ain't been doin' anythang else."

"I ain't complainin'." Daryl said standing up. "When we supposed to go?"

"Like now, I guess."

"Alright, get yer stuff, do what ya need to do. Be ready in five minutes."

I nodded and went off to get my supplies.

"Oh, and bring Jax." My brother said.

* * *

"Where are we 'posed to turn?" I asked.

"Yer the one with the map."

I gave Daryl an annoyed look.

"You wanted to be the navigator."

"Yeah, well I didn't know bein' the trusty co-pilot was so confusin'."

"Sometimes I don't even know what the hell yer sayin'."

I rolled my eyes at him and sighed, looking back down at the map. "Okay, right up here." I pointed. "Turn left."

Daryl obliged.

"No wait, that ain't right."

Daryl slammed on the brakes and grabbed the map off me.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"If you wanna be the navigator then learn to navigate." He snapped. He was looking down at the map now. "We're supposed to go south." He followed the road with his finger. "This is right…no it ain't."

I laughed loudly. "Ain't so easy, is it?"

"Alright, it looks like we're supposed to go right." Daryl turned around and made a right instead of a left.

"Follow this route here." He showed me on the map then threw it at me.

"Rude." I said. I picked the map up upside down. "Hey…it's a lot easier to read this way!"

Daryl snorted.

"I see now. Just keep goin' straight and then we sorta bare off to the right, after that we're gonna make another right then a left. Then, we go straight from there until we get into the city." I said confidently.

"I'll take your word for it."

* * *

My directions were correct so far. I was proud of myself.

"That upside down technique works pretty well."

"Whatever works." Daryl said. "But on the way back, don't forget to turn it back around."

"Oh yeah." I laughed. "That would be bad."

"How much longer?"

"About five miles maybe, more or less."

Daryl just nodded.

* * *

We finally arrived where we needed to be.

"Which one of these buildin's do we need?"

"Um, Abner couldn't remember the name but he said it's tan and the tallest buildin' in the city. Should be next to a hospital."

"Great." Daryl raised his eyebrows.

* * *

Daryl drove us around a little more.

"That has to be it!" I pointed at one of the buildings. "Yeah cuz there's the hospital."

"Yup." Daryl said. "Imma park here. We can walk."

I grabbed my bag and hopped out of the truck. There was a walker coming down as we were going up.

"I got it." I said. I pulled out my knife and took care of it.

"Whoa!" I said. "Look how tall that buildin' is! You cain't even see the top of it!"

I heard Daryl laughing at me.

"Now that's a skyscraper." I said.

"Ya done? Can we get back to the regenerators now?"

"Screw you." I said.

Daryl got out a crowbar and pried the door open. We made sure it was safe before going in. I went left he went right. Jax came with me, he always comes with me.

"Clear." I said.

Daryl nodded from his side too.

"My guess is they would be in the basement." I said. We looked around for a sign and/or a doorway.

"Over here." Daryl called. I went over to join him.

"Has to be the basement." Daryl said. I tried the door, but it was locked.

"Stand back." Daryl used his handy crowbar again. Once the door was open, I shined my flashlight down the stairs but I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black.

"So, this _is_ the basement." I said. I turned to face Daryl. "I'll give ya a dollar if ya go first." He made a noise through his teeth and went around me, making his way down the stairs. I followed suit. "Just kiddin'." I said quietly. He seemed like he was getting annoyed. "Come on, Jax."

"Do ya have any idea what these thangs even look like?" Daryl said reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Well it's like a little black box." I shined my light around. "I'll be able to know if I see 'em."

"There are boxes everywhere." Daryl said. "How are we gon' find 'em?"

"Better start openin' boxes." I sighed.

Just then, we heard a bump. It happened again. We looked at each other. Daryl put a finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. Jax growled and barked so I had to tell him to be quiet. We listened carefully.

"It's just one." I said.

"Yeah, sounds like it's stuck, we'll be fine."

* * *

We already opened several boxes and still no luck. Daryl had the left, I had the right.

"Sumbitch." I heard Daryl say. I laughed here and there when I heard him say something.

"You think everythin's funny, don't ya?" He said roughly.

"I'm only laughin' cuz of yer reactions." I giggled.

"Yeah, yeah."

I looked up and saw a box on the top shelf. I would have to climb up there to get it. Daryl was saying something but I wasn't listening. I climbed up on the top being as careful as possible, I didn't want to bring the damn thing down. I reached the box and had a little trouble opening it.

"We're never gonna find 'ese bastards." Daryl said.

"Found 'em!" I yelled. I heard something fall from across the way and Daryl's footsteps coming over. "Over here." I shined my flashlight in his direction.

"Ya found 'em? Seriously?" Daryl asked. I read the description that was on the outside of the device. It matched what Abner told me.

"Yup!" I yelled cheerfully. "This is it."

"Be careful up there."

"I know." I looked around. "Here, I'll slide the box down to ya, it's kinda heavy." I did my best to hold it, I let go when Daryl grabbed it. I started to climb down but I was stuck on something. "My belt's caught." I yelled down to Daryl.

"Do ya need my help?"

I exhaled sharply. "Nah, I think I can get it."

"Be careful." Daryl said.

I let go of the shelf with my left hand and quickly got my belt off of what ever it was stuck on and then steadied myself so the shelf wouldn't fall. "I got it. I'm comin' down now."

"Okay."

I slowly got down to the next level but when I went to go to the next one, I missed the step and fell all the way down. I screamed. Daryl caught me but I didn't even realize. "I got ya." He said.

I caught my breath. "I'm good, I'm good." _I'm so lucky he was there!_ "Let's just get outta here." I said.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

"Thanks for that." I said to Daryl as we were making our way back to the truck. "I'm so lucky I didn't hit the ground."

"No, yer lucky ya didn't bring that shelf down." Daryl said. "Then we'd both be fucked."

"Yeah." I laughed.

I led the way, Daryl was carrying the box with the devices in it.

"At least we got 'em, though." Daryl said. I stopped suddenly and Daryl bumped into me. Jax barked. "What are ya doin'?" He asked.

"…t-the—the trucks gone."

Daryl put the box down and looked at the same empty spot that I was looking at. "Shit."

* * *

"Turn around." Daryl said to me. I did. He started putting the devices in my bag.

"They might get damaged."

"I don't care." Daryl said angrily. "I ain't carryin' this box no more." He took the bag from me. We were making our way back as best we could (the map was in the truck) also looking for another vehicle.

"I'm so cold." I blurted out. It was a chilly day.

"I know." Daryl said more softly this time. "Don't worry, we'll find a car eventually."

"By the time we do, it'll be dark so we might as well find a place to stay the night." I was shivering. Daryl sighed.

* * *

"Hey, look!" I yelled. "A school bus!" Daryl handed me back the bag. "I'll check it." I said.

"No, we'll both check it."

"Okay." I turned to Jax. "You stay here, Jax, ya hear? Stay." I pointed.

Daryl kicked the doors open and went in with his crossbow up. I did the same once I got inside. It looked like it was clear so far. Daryl found the keys on the seat and tried starting it. I made my way to the back. There was a dead body back there. They looked like they were around my age, maybe younger. I frowned at it. Daryl said something.

"Huh?" I turned my head in his direction.

"I said it's dead!"

Just then the dead body I was looking at grabbed me. I screamed. I was trying to hold it back and reach for my knife, I was struggling pretty bad. That's when I saw a bolt go through its head and it went limp.

"Are you okay?" Daryl was by my side.

I grabbed at my arm. "Yeah." I exhaled. "That was too close."

Suddenly, we heard a noise outside. There were several walkers that were coming for the bus. Jax was barking.

"Get down." Daryl grabbed me.

"Jax is out there!" I yell-whispered.

"He'll be fine."

"But Daryl—

"Shh!"

A few of the walkers came into the bus from the front door. Daryl and I rolled underneath the seats. He was on the opposite side of me. I heard more of them get on the bus and realized I didn't hear Jax anymore. I looked at Daryl. He put a finger to his lips again. I nodded. I looked ahead of me and saw that there was an emergency door on the floor. I quietly slid under the seats until I got to it. I started to unscrew the screws with my knife. Daryl noticed what I was doing and nodded at me. Once all the screws were out, I lifted the door with my knife and pulled it up, moving it aside. I got halfway in the hole, Daryl made his way over to me. "Hey, you wait for me." He whispered. I nodded and jumped down. I looked around and made sure there were no walkers on this side before signaling to Daryl. Once Daryl jumped down, I looked around the bus on the other side. Jax wasn't there. "Jax." I whispered. "Jax!" I gave my brother a worried look. "Jax is gone."

He gave me a sympathetic look. "We'll find 'im, but we gotta go. Sorry, Sissy." We quickly and quietly ran off in the opposite direction that the walkers were.

We ran into the woods. They won't be able to see us now. We stopped and caught our breath.

"Talk about close ones." I said.

"What a day." Daryl said. He looked up at the sky. "We got about two to three hours of daylight left. We better start lookin' fer a place to stay the night like you said." I sighed. "Come on." Daryl said.

I put my hands on my back and that's when I realized that…there wasn't anything there.

"Daryl, wait…" He turned to look at me. "…I left the bag on the bus." I said nervously. He gave me an annoyed look and put his head back. "I'm sorry, please don't kill me." Daryl sighed and started walking forward. "Wait, where are ya goin'?"

"To find shelter." He said.

"We have to go back and get it!"

"It ain't worth it." He shook his head.

"We have to. They need them, _we_ need them." I sounded desperate.

He just looked me, he must have heard the desperation in my voice. "I'm tellin' those motherfuckers I want a steak dinner when we get back." Daryl said walking back to the bus.

* * *

We were cooped up in a little department store now. We made a fire to warm up, and we were lucky enough to find cans of soup in a grocery store on the way.

Daryl still looks pretty pissed. I don't blame him, he didn't ask for any of this. This was me. I'm happy he got the bag, though. I was going to get it, I thought it would be easier if it was me because I'm smaller, but he just angrily told me to stay back. He's not talking to me right now. In fact, he has his back turned to me. We had an argument earlier. I played back bits and pieces of it in my head.

 _"_ _Do you even think, Leann?" Daryl yelled. "No, ya don't! Yer the first one to jump at an opportunity before even thinkin' about anyone else!"_

 _"_ _That's not true!" I yelled. "And I didn't force you to come, you could've said no."_

 _"_ _Oh yeah, I'm sure you would've let that go."_

 _I huffed._

 _"_ _And you would've died if I didn't come with you! Ya even said so yerself." He walked off. "Done with this bullshit."_

I figured I would just give him some time. However, that was almost an hour ago so I get to make him start talking again.

"Daryl, are ya still mad at me?" He didn't respond to me. _I guess that means yes. Yikes…_ "I'm sorry." I said sadly. "I'm sorry that I got us into this. This was all me. I'll ask ya next time before I 'cept any "missions." He still didn't say anything. "Come on." I moved closer to him. "Ya cain't stay mad at me forever." I put my arms around him to try and be cute.

"Not this time, kid." He pushed me away. I just put my head down.

* * *

I woke up the next morning, feeling like crap. My neck hurt from sleeping on the damn floor. I guess I had gotten used to actually sleeping in a bed. I got up and stretched. I didn't see Daryl. Just as I had that thought, I saw him come from around the corner. He didn't say anything, I just watched him. He picked up the bag and headed towards the exit. I didn't move. "Ya comin' or ya just gonna lay there all day?" He raised his eyebrows at me. He didn't wait for me to answer, just left the store. _I take it he's still not happy with me._ I got up quickly and followed him. I decided to be nice and not give him any problems than he already has.

"I can take the bag if ya want?" I asked.

"Nah, I'll keep it." He said. "I won't forget it."

That hurt a little.

* * *

I saw something in the road as we were walking.

"Is that our truck?" I asked. "That is our truck!" I said happily when we got closer to it.

We ran to it. The keys were inside and it was fine, everything was exactly where we left it. I laughed. "How 'bout that, Daryl?" I heard a shotgun being cocked and I froze.

"Yeah, how 'bout that, Daryl?" A voice said. He was right behind me. It was a trap.

"What do ya want?" Daryl said with his crossbow up.

"Now, I want a lot of things." He laughed evilly. "But for now, I want everything you got, especially what's in that bag." He nodded at the bag on Daryl's back.

"H-how do you know what's in the bag?" I finally spoke.

He laughed. "I been watchin' you." He became evil looking. "I cleared that room out myself. I need those little boxes for ma place. I put that box on the top shelf, I was comin' back fer it. That belongs to me." He said that last part slowly.

"If you knew we was there, then why didn't ya try somethin' then?" Daryl said roughly.

The man laughed loudly. "I wanted to see how long I could mess with you. I can't believe you went back for that bag after that swarm." He spit.

"All that was you?" I said.

"Boy howdy, do you two look stupid." He reached down and took my gun from me.

I gasped. "Nice and easy there." The creep said. "Go ahead and throw your crossbow in the back." Daryl just glared at him. "Go on." He said. "Or I'll blow her brains out, then yours." After a moment's hesitation, he put his crossbow in the back. "Good, good." He said. He went around to the driver's side not taking his eyes off us. "Now back up!" We did. I slowly pulled out my knife and got down without him seeing.

"Step away from the truck, turn around and walk away." We did everything he said slowly. I heard the truck start. I looked back as we were walking and he just got in and started driving away. Daryl glared at him. We stood there and watched him drive away.

"Don't worry." I said. "He won't make it very far."

"Yeah, and how do you know?" Daryl said roughly.

I held up my knife. "I slashed one 'a the tires when he wasn't lookin'." I smiled real big and proud. Daryl attempted to smirk, but he was still too angry. "We can catch up but we need to hurry."

"Let's get him." Daryl said.

* * *

We ran for a long time until we saw the truck. He was sitting on the ground changing the tire. We snuck through the woods. At the right time, Daryl came up from behind him and grabbed him. He put his knife to his throat. "Don't move." Daryl warned. I grabbed my gun, the fucker's shotgun and Daryl's crossbow from the back. Daryl let him go, throwing him to the ground. I gave him his crossbow. I started the truck while Daryl held him up. I happened to glance over at the bag and I laughed. "We're good." I said to Daryl.

"You lose." Daryl said to him.

"Yeah, but thanks fer changin' our tire." I laughed. The guy didn't say anything the whole time, just glared at us.

"Good luck." Daryl said. "Yer gonna need it." He hopped in the truck.

I blinked in confusion. "Ain't ya gonna…?"

"Nah, we got our stuff back." Daryl said. "That's it." I looked at the creeper. I didn't sympathize with him at all. He took our stuff and almost killed me.

"Le, come on." Daryl said. I thought about all we went through today, all the trouble he caused. I wouldn't let him get away with it. He could possibly catch up with us or do the same to someone else.

"Please." The guy cried.

I lowered my gun. Then I thought about what my brother normally _would_ do.

"Le! Let's go!" Daryl yelled.

I raised my gun again and shot him right in the forehead. "Comin'." I said and got in the truck. Daryl looked at the dead body of the man then at me. "What?" I said to him. "Like ya said, I'm done with this bullshit." He was still looking at me funny. Eventually, though, he started the truck and drove away.

* * *

"Ya think we'll find Jax?"

"He gotta be 'round here somewhere." Daryl said.

"Yeah. I think he'll find us. He will. He'll catch up."

The spare tire was completely wore out by the time we got back home. The wheel well is probably ruined as well. "We should just ditch it here and walk the rest of the way." I suggested.

"Yeah." Daryl said. "Gas is almost out, too." We pulled over. I put the bag on my back and my gun in it's holster. I carried the shotgun.

We walked the rest of the way. Daryl still wasn't really talking to me. I don't know if he was still mad about before or if it was because of the guy I killed. He seemed surprised when I did it. I don't care, though, that asshole needed to go.

I saw smoke through the trees up ahead. It was black. "Daryl." I said.

"Yeah, I see it."

"Could that be…home?" We exchanged a look. I started running towards it. Daryl followed. I became less and less hopeful as we got closer. I just knew the outcome was going to be bad.

We finally reached the complex. I stood there in shock. I dropped the bag that was in my hand that caused us so much trouble to get. Now it meant nothing.

Daryl just glared at the flames.

We fooled yourselves again into thinking we could stay somewhere permanently. I thought sadly as I watched the building burn.


	5. Lasers

Daryl and I barely said a word to each other this entire time. I can't say if he is still mad at me about before, but I know he's upset about the motel. We didn't know the other residents there that well, but they were still our friends. That was our home…and it was my fault that whoever attacked us destroyed the place because I had Daryl and I go out on some wild goose chase instead of being where we needed to be to help protect our home. Now it's gone and so are the people.

It's been three days and were still living in the woods. I looked at Daryl just staring into the fire. It reminded me of how he was before we became close with Rick and everyone. _Please don't go back to this. We were making good progress._ I was finally sick of just sitting around and not doing anything so I decided to confront him.

"So…is this it?" I said. "This is what our lives are gonna to be now?" He glanced at me then back down at the fire. "Would ya talk to me?" I said a little louder. "Daryl?" He lifted his head and looked like he was about to say something but hesitated. I raised my eyebrows. He went back to his normal position. I sighed loudly and rolled onto my side so I was facing away from him.

* * *

We got up that morning and went hunting. I was getting used to the good food we were getting at the motel. We need to find something, I'm starving.

We saw a rabbit. Daryl aimed at it, but I stepped on a twig and it got scared and ran so Daryl missed. I started running after it, I threw my knife towards it but missed. "Damn." I said giving up. I pulled my knife out of the ground.

"Son of a bitch!" I heard Daryl say. I turned abruptly and saw him looking at the arrow he shot. It was cracked. He saw me looking and glared in my direction.

"What?" I asked.

He didn't speak right away. "Yer a lousy hunter, ya know that?"

"Why?" I snapped. "Cuz I couldn't catch a rabbit?"

"No, cuz ya cain't keep quiet!"

I huffed. He is unbelievable. "It was an accident." I said walking closer to him.

"Yeah well yer little "accident" cost us our meal! Learn to not be so clumsy!"

I was pissed. I probably should have just ignored him, but that hit a nerve. If he wants a war then he's got one. "If I'm so clumsy then maybe I should just go find my own food."

"What are you sayin'?" Daryl narrowed his eyes at me.

"Maybe I should leave. That way ya won't have to worry about me scarin' no more 'a yer meals away."

"Maybe ya should!"

"Maybe I will!" I slowly walked backwards with each word.

"Go ahead then!"

"Fine!" I spun around and started walking away. Just then, I heard a gunshot. I grabbed my gun and turned around looking at Daryl wide eyed. "Did you—" I was cut off by gunshots right at us. I quickly got down and ran without thinking. I didn't even know which direction the bullets were flying. I just ran and ran. I looked behind me at one point and realized that Daryl wasn't with me. He must have ran in the opposite direction as me. I couldn't worry about that right now though, I just kept running deeper and deeper into the woods. I finally stopped to catch my breath and hid behind a tree. Shortly after, I heard footsteps behind me. I snuck a peek. It was the man that was shooting at us…or one of them for that matter. I slowly and quietly aimed at him…I shot him dead. I exhaled a held breath as I watched his dead body on the ground. Suddenly, I was pushed against the tree, my head hitting it hard. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. Someone had me, their gun to my head. I could see the blood from my forehead. I looked around for Daryl, he was nowhere to be found. He wasn't there to save me this time; I knew I was screwed.

"You win asshole." I said angrily.

* * *

I wondered why this guy hadn't killed me yet. He saw me take down one of his friends so it only seemed fair. He walked with me farther away from where we were. He must want me for something.

We got out of the woods into an open field, there was a pit that the man was taking me over to. I could hear the moans before we got to it and I began to panic. He shoved me toward it. I stumbled but then caught myself. I turned and looked at him wide eyed. "Why are ya doin' this?" I shouted. "I don't even know you!"

He laughed. "You don't know _me_ but you know my friend."

"Yer friend shoot at _me_!"

"No, not that guy. In fact, fuck him." He stepped closer to me. "I believe you met my friend on the road." I was shaking my head. Then I remembered. _The guy that tried to take our stuff._ "Yup. I was right. You killed him and now I'm gonna kill you…slowly." He smiled evilly. I attempted to run but he grabbed me and pushed me into the pit. I screamed. I got up as quickly as I could and ran to the other side. There were about eight of them!

"Shit!" I grabbed my knife and stabbed one of them immediately. Thank God the guy didn't take it. I had it hidden in my boot, he took my gun, though. I pushed one back and kicked another. Then I grabbed the closest one and stabbed it in the head, I threw that one at another one, it fell on top of it making it go down. The others were coming, though. I didn't have time to kill anymore, they were all coming at once. The only thing I could do was keep pushing them back. I was struggling pretty bad. _You can't give up!_ I was able to finally kill another. I stabbed it up through the jaw then used the same technique from before, I threw that one at another. It gave me some time. I kicked one in the knee and it went down. It couldn't get back up, I knew I broke its leg. I did the same to another. I grabbed both of their heads and banged them together until they were dead. I killed the last one that was standing. That just left the two that had bodies on top of them. I went over to the first and stepped on its head as hard as I could. I did it again just for good reassurance. I was getting out of breath and my knee was beginning to hurt me, but I wasn't going to stop now. I noticed a rock in the corner. I picked it up and smashed the last walkers head with it. I kept doing it even after I knew it was dead. It was like this unspeakable anger just came out of me and I couldn't stop. I finally got up and gave the walker a nice kick. Then I screamed letting the rest of the anger out. I won.

I bent over and was panting. Suddenly, I heard clapping. I looked up and saw the man, he was applauding me and had a sickening smile plastered on his face. I glared at him. "Enjoy the show?"

He laughed. "Ready for more?" He was leading two more walkers.

"I could do this all day, prick!"

He had a smug look on his face. I picked up the rock without him noticing (I had my back to him) and then I spun around and whipped it at him.

"Shit!" He yelled. He had to drop the walkers to dodge the rock. It still hit him anyway. One of them almost fell into the pit. It was hanging there with the pole he used to guide it. I suddenly got an idea. I grabbed it before it could do anything. I pulled it into the pit and killed it then I took the thing from around its neck and stuck the pole into the ground. I climbed up it and put my foot on the top for support, I was able to grab onto the edge after that and pull myself up. Of course the man was there immediately, he kicked me in the ribs. I gasped and rolled over. He tried to punch me this time but I spun quickly and kicked him the face. He stumbled backwards and I took my chance. I got up as fast as I could and stabbed him in the stomach. He groaned loudly. I pushed him onto the ground, getting on top of him, I stabbed him repeatedly. I watched him die as I was stabbing him, I kept stabbing him even after that.

I took my gun back and his. I finally got up and just looked at him.

" _I_ win, asshole."

* * *

It sure gets dark in the woods. I thought as I was trying to make my way back. I wasn't having any luck. We couldn't have gotten that far away from each other, could we? Maybe Daryl is gone. Maybe he actually took off because of our fight and he isn't even trying to find me. _No, he wouldn't do that._ Well…we were getting shot at, what if Daryl is… _No! Do not go there! He's fine! We'll find each other eventually._ I hope eventually is soon.

* * *

I finally dropped down on my knees. This is hopeless, I've been out here for hours. I can't find my brother anywhere. I sat on the ground and I wanted to cry, but I didn't. Crying is pointless at this time. So I just sat there, I had lost faith. I absentmindedly felt something in my pocket. I pulled it out, it was the laser! That's it! I gave Daryl the other one, maybe he'll see it!

I quickly shined it around while moving forward. I shined it in all directions being careful of other encounters.

"Come on, Daryl." I said desperately. "Please see this and shine yers back."

I tried doing it slowly in each direction. I clicked it on and off. I was losing hope more and more.

I sat down against a tree. My head was hurting pretty bad and I was getting dizzy. I leaned my head back and looked up into the darkness. I shined my laser one last time in every direction. I was just doing it now, without thinking. Something caught my eye. I saw the beautiful red beam of light northwest from me. I got up so fast it made me dizzy. I shined my light in that direction, the red light returned my response. "Daryl?" I started running in that direction, I ran so fast and I didn't care what was in my way. I guess I spoke too soon, though, because I tripped over something and face planted into the dirt. I got up slowly. I could feel the blood running down my face. Now my head really hurt. I touched it. "Ow." I said out loud. I ignored it and kept running shining the laser as well. "Daryl!"

"I'm here!" I heard from a distance. I smiled and kept running. Daryl must have also had a flashlight with him, I could see the light from it and knew I was close.

"Daryl!" I ran to him.

Daryl let out of breath of relief. "Le."

"Oh my God, Daryl, I'm so happy I found ya." I jumped into his arms and we hugged.

"Oh, Le." He held me tightly then finally put me on my feet. He shined the flashlight at me and must have seen the wound on my head. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I got a sick feeling in my stomach. "Did ya run into anymore 'a those guys?"

Daryl hesitated before answering. "Yeah, I took care of 'em." He put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just dizzy." I felt very emotional all of a sudden. "I never want to be separated again."

"It's alright." He hugged me. "Come on."

* * *

We made a fire and Daryl took care of my head the best he could. I sat there with my head down. It was still bleeding. I felt disturbed. I thought about what happened with that guy. I can't explain any of that, surely I should be dead. It was like I was taken over by a presence, like I was possessed or something. Never in my life have a felt such anger and hatred. It honestly scares me.

"Those laser turned out to be a good idea." Daryl said. "Good thing you thought of that." I didn't have a response for that. "You alright?" Daryl asked me. I still didn't respond. I truthfully didn't feel like myself. I could see red as the blood reached my eye.

"So cold." I said quietly.

Daryl slowly got up and sat down closer to me. He put his arms around me. "Better?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said even quieter than before.

"What happened back there?"

"I said I don't wanna talk about it." I turned my head away.

"Did _you_ have any trouble with those guys?"

"…just one."

"Did he—"

"He hurt my head, that's it."

"Okay." He rubbed my back.

I suddenly thought about the motel. "It's my fault." I said out loud.

"What's yer fault?"

"What happened to the motel."

"Leann, why would ya say that? People attacked—"

"Cuz I made us go on some dumb run when we shoulda been nere."

"We might be dead ourselves then."

"We coulda helped." A tear slid down my cheek. "I'm dumb and irresponsible."

"Le—"

"And I made ya mad." I put my head down. "I'm sorry that I dragged ya into that trouble, and that's all it was."

"Le, listen," Daryl made me face him, "I wasn't mad at ya or about any of that stuff that happened. I've ran into so much trouble durin' runs, some worse than that."

"Then why did ya get so mad?" I was confused.

"…cuz it happened when you was with me. I worry about ya all the time and I don't want anythang to happen to ya. I don't want you in danger ever."

I was silent for a moment, I took in what he just told me. That makes sense, I guess.

* * *

I don't remember going to sleep last night but I must have. I was leaning against Daryl. He noticed I was awake and rubbed my arm. "Hey, yer head feel better?"

"A little." I lied.

"Don't lie to me." Daryl read my mind.

"It hurts like hell." I admitted.

He nodded. "We need to find a place, somewhere that you can heal up."

"There's nowhere. Our best bet is a car." I suddenly realized something. "But I ain't goin' no where without Jax, though."

Daryl sighed. "Le…I hate to say it, but Jax is gone."

"No, he ain't! He's out here somewhere and I'm gonna find 'im!" I rubbed at my eyes. "He'll prolly find us first."

We traveled for what seemed like a very long time, of course, I don't remember much. I was pretty out of it because of my head. We finally decided to stay in this one little house we found along the way. It wasn't very secure, but it would have to do for now. All I remember is going to sleep in a nice, comfy bed…

* * *

I awoke in daze. I got up and stretched, it felt so good. The pain in my head was gone, and I was no longer dizzy. I looked at myself in the mirror. I had a brand new bandage on. Something smelled good.

It was very quiet. I peeked out of my room. "Daryl?" I called but no one answered. The fireplace was lit, but no one was in the room. I walked around the house and still didn't see him. I glanced out the window and saw Daryl walking over to the house with firewood. I went out through the back door.

"Hey," Daryl said when he saw me. "How ya feelin'?" He dropped the wood next to the house.

"A lot better." I said. "But really hungry."

"I imagine ya would be." Daryl said wiping his hands on his handkerchief. "Ya been unconscious fer four days."

"What?" I practically yelled.

"Yup. I think ya had a little concussion." Daryl went inside so I followed him.

"I had no idea."

"Well at least yer feelin' better."

"Yeah." Daryl handed me a plate of food. I didn't even ask what it was, I just dug in. "Thanks." I said with a mouthful of food.

"Good?" Daryl asked.

I nodded.

It was getting late.

"So is this like home?" I asked out of nowhere.

"Fer now it is."

I just nodded. "You should get some rest."

He snorted. "Yeah, I remember the last time we tried that."

I laughed.

* * *

"I hate when it's cold. Why'd we leave the south?" I said. I was as close to the fire as I could get and I had a blanket wrapped around me.

"Yer really that cold?" Daryl smirked at me.

I huffed. "You remember last year, don't ya?"

He let out a little laugh. "You was like a pig in a blanket."

"I hate bein' cold." I whined. "Why cain't I be like you? Heat like radiates from ya."

"Yer cold all the time cuz ya got no meat on yer bones."

"It ain't my fault."

"Ya didn't even finish all yer food." He raised his eyebrows. "You gotta start eatin' more, little lady."

"Whatever." I said. "I'm goin' to bed." I grabbed a pillow off of the couch and laid next to the fire. I settled into my position. I don't know why but I reached up and touched my forehead where the bandage is. I rolled back over so I was facing Daryl.

"Hey, Daryl." I said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks fer takin' care 'a me." I smiled. He just smiled back at me. I liked his smile a lot, that's not something I get to see often. I rolled back over to my original position.

"Goodnight, Darlin'." I heard Daryl say quietly. I'm not even sure if he wanted me to hear it or not.

* * *

I was awakened by a noise outside. I rolled over and looked at my brother, he was awake and stared at me. He put a finger to his lips telling me to be quiet. I nodded. He slowly got up grabbing his crossbow, I followed, we went to the back door. I grabbed the doorknob and on Daryl's signal opened the door, he pointed his crossbow at whatever was making the noise. I heard a bark and gasped.

"Jax!" I yelled and ran to him. "I knew you'd find us, I just knew it!" I petted him and he happily wagged his tail. I was about to bring him inside.

"Le, hold up." Daryl said. "He could be sick. I think maybe he should stay outside fer the night."

I gave my brother a stupid look. "Does he really look sick to you?" I looked down at Jax sitting there panting and wagging his tail.

"No, but…

"He's fine. But makin' 'im stay out here could make him not be."

Daryl sighed. "All right. Come on, boy." Jax ran inside. Daryl petted him. "Good to have ya back."

I smiled and gave him some water. He drank it down. "Aw, poor thang. He's so thirsty."

I laid on the floor with my Jaxy. "I missed ya so much." I kissed him then rested my head on him. I caught Daryl smiling at us.


	6. Beg

**Thanks everyone for the reviews, favorites and follows! I really appreciate it and love to hear feedback so please don't holdback and please leave a review! Leann's middle name is revealed in this chapter! It's after a country singer ;) If I'm allowed to say so myself, I'm really impressed with this** **chapter :) I think it's my favorite so far! :D What do y'all think?**

* * *

"What do ya think Jax did while he was missin'?" I asked my brother while laying on the floor next to Jax.

"Probably lookin' fer us." Daryl said with raised eyebrows.

I giggled. "Yeah, yer probably right." I hugged Jax tightly. "I'm just glad someone else didn't find 'im. He's mine."

"He's too loyal fer that." Daryl fed him a chip. "Ain't ya, boy?"

"I love ya, Jaxy." I kissed his head. "I couldn't take it if somethin' happened to ya."

I heard Daryl sigh. "Yeah. All right. Quit babyin' him. Yer gonna turn my dog into a pansy."

"He's ma dog!" I sat up quickly.

"Nope, 'e's mine. Ain't that right?" He petted him.

I glared at my brother. Just then an idea popped into my head. "Okay. We'll see who he likes better." I stood up. "Let's go on opposite ends of the house and see who he comes to." I smirked.

"All right." Daryl jumped up. We each spread apart, Daryl was in the kitchen doorway and I was over by the fireplace.

"All right. Ready?" I asked. We both started to call Jax. "Come'er, boy! Come on, Jaxy! Come to me! Come on! Here, boy!" Jax stood there staring at both of us not knowing what to do. We continued to call him. He looked back and forth from us then whimpered. "It's like we're a divorced couple with our kid." I said making my brother laugh. "Come on, Jaxy. Come to Le." Jax made his final decision and ran to me. "Yes!" I yelled. "Ha! See, he's MY dog!"

Daryl laughed. "You bad dog! I ain't feedin' ya my chips no more!"

"Aw, it's okay, Jaxy." I rubbed him. "I'll feed ya anythang ya want."

"Go ahead." My brother said. "Spoil 'im so he don't wanna do his job no more."

"Oh, Daryl." I waved him off.

"Don't 'oh, Daryl' me. Now get yer little ass up and come eat somethin'."

I got up and made my way to the kitchen. Daryl playfully swatted me when I walked passed him. I opened a can of ravioli, there was mold inside. "Ew, Daryl. It's done gone bad."

"What?" My brother said. I showed him the moldy can, he grimaced. "Yeah, let's go hunt."

* * *

"It's close." Daryl said referring to the walker we heard snarling in the distance.

"Shouldn't we wait fer it?"

"Nah, he'll come by soon enough. Here." He handed me his crossbow. "Redeem yerself from last time."

"That weren't my fault."

"Don't care. Just do it."

I readjusted the crossbow and aimed at the squirrel. I didn't really want to, but we needed food. I shot the squirrel, it went through its back and was pinned to the tree. I frowned a little. "Good job, kid." My brother patted my back then went to get the squirrel. I smiled.

Suddenly, the walker finally emerged. "I got it." I said. Pulling out my knife, I walked over to it but saw one of Daryl's bolts go through its head. "What the hell?" I spun around. "I said I got it."

"I know but ya didn't have to."

I huffed. "You didn't think I could do it."

"That's not it." Daryl said. "I just figured I'd take care of it fer ya is all." Jax barked but we ignored him.

"But ya didn't have to." I crossed my arms. "Next time, let me handle it myself." Jax barked again.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at me. "Ungrateful little brat." Jax continued barking.

"Jax!" I yelled and turned my attention to my dog. I gasped. "Oh shit!" There were several walkers making their way to us. Daryl and I shared a look.

"Time to go." My brother said and grabbed my arm. "Let's go, Jax!" We ran quickly.

"Daryl, wait." I stopped him at some point. "We cain't lead 'em back to the house."

My brother looked at me biting his lip. "Kill as many as ya can." He turned quickly and shot one with his crossbow. I shot two of them then stabbed one. I saw Jax jump on one. "Jax, no!" I yelled and stabbed another.

"There's too many, we gotta go!" Daryl said. Suddenly, we heard a whimper. One of the walkers bit Jax!

"Jax, no!" I was about to run to him but Daryl stopped me, he bent down on one knee and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"We cain't just leave 'im!"

"It's too late." Daryl said and held me there. I couldn't do anything but stand there and watch my dog get eaten. "Jax." I cried, I couldn't stop the tears.

"We gotta go." My brother said. "I'm sorry, Sissy. We gotta go." He practically dragged me away. We ran all the way out of the woods and back to the house.

* * *

Daryl sat next to me on the couch and rubbed my back as I lay there sobbing into the pillow. I have been crying all day, I watched it get dark. "Come on, Sissy. It's okay, we'll find ya a new dog."

"I don't want another dog." I cried. "I want my Jaxy! He weren't just any dog…he was the best."

"I know, I know." My brother said softly then sighed. I felt him get up and then walk away. "Come in here, Le." I slowly got up and wiped my tears with my arm then went into the kitchen where Daryl was. "Here." He sat a plate of squirrel meat in front of me. I just sat there and stared at it sadly. "Come on, Le. Ya gotta eat."

"I cain't." I said weakly.

"Try. Even if it's just a little."

I hesitated then picked up a small piece and chewed it very slowly. I ate another piece, but when I tried to eat a third I couldn't. I suddenly got an image of the walkers ripping apart my dog. It was my fault, he was trying to help _me._ Plus what's more, I'm the one that stopped us to kill the walkers. Jax death is on me. I swallowed hard and pushed my plate away then got up and went back to my original position on the couch. I sobbed some more.

"Le, come'er." My brother called me. "Come'er." I walked over to him in the chair and into his open arms. He just held me tightly rubbing my back and let me cry into his chest. Eventually, I fell asleep on him.

* * *

The next day when I got up, Daryl wasn't there. I looked around the house for him but couldn't find him. "Daryl?" I checked the bathroom for him, but he wasn't in there either. _And he says he doesn't leave without telling me…_ I looked at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes were all red and puffy from crying all night. I sighed.

I decided to go outside for some fresh air. It's not going to cure my heartache, but…whatever. I walked around the backyard making sure not to go too far knowing that Daryl will tan my hide if he comes back and I'm not there. _But he can do whatever he wants and whenever_. I sighed rubbing a leaf on a bush, it felt nice and smooth. Suddenly, I looked down and saw a dead raccoon under one of the bushes. I frowned. I never liked seeing dead animals. I guess it's okay when you hunt because you're using them for food, but I always hated seeing dead animals, like roadkill. Just then, I heard a noise and spun around. I gasped and jumped back. There was another raccoon. My brothers taught me that if a nocturnal animal is out during the day, it's probably sick. So, I grabbed my gun and aimed at it waiting for it to attack, it never did, though. It was just a baby. Suddenly, a sad thought crossed my mind…that dead raccoon must be its mother. I frowned at him then began walking back to the house, however, something stopped me. I'm like that raccoon. My mom died, too. I was lucky enough to have Daryl to take care of me. That raccoon has no one. I turned back around and stared at the poor thing. All of a sudden, I got an idea and smiled. "Hey, there, little guy." I said putting away my gun. "Ya wanna come home with me?" I petted him and he surprisingly let me pick him up.

* * *

I sat on the couch holding my new pet. I smiled while bottle feeding him. One of the rooms in this house was a nursery so there was some baby supplies in there. "You're so cute, little guy." I kissed him. "Hmm…you should have a name. What should I call you?" I thought for a minute. "How 'bout…Gus? Ya look like a Gus to me." I smiled. "Huh? Ya like that?" He made a noise and I became excited. "So, ya do like it?" I took his bottle away. "I thank that's enough fer now, Gus Gus. Let's put ya down fer a nap." I carried him into the nursery and laid him in the crib. "This is yer room now." I kissed him. "Get some sleep now. Yer just a baby after all." I smiled down at him then sat in a chair watching him.

A little after that, I heard a whistle and knew my brother was back. I went over to the front door and returned his call then opened the door for him. "Hey, baby." He said walking into the house. "Everythang okay?"

"Uh huh." I smiled. I was excited to tell him about Gus.

"Sorry, I didn't tell ya before I left. I didn't wanna wake ya." He sat his crossbow down. "Good news is, I got us a deer."

"Great." I said.

He gave me a strange look. "Ya sure yer okay?"

"I'm more than okay, Daryl, I'm great." I grinned form ear to ear.

My brother chuckled. "What you got to be so happy about?"

"I got a new pet!"

"You did?" Daryl gave me a small smile.

"Yeah! I'll go get 'im!" I ran to the nursery and picked up Gus bringing him back into the other room. Daryl had his back to me when I walked in, he was taking his jacket off. "Look, Daryl!"

He turned and looked at me then down at Gus. His eyes went wide. "Leann Rimes Dixon! You put that thang down this instant!"

My smile faded and I became confused. "But why?"

"Cuz it could be sick!"

"He ain't sick, he's fine."

"He's a wild animal is what he is!"

"He's my new pet." I stated and petted him.

"Like hell it is! You take that thang back outside right now!"

I frowned. "But Daryl…he's just a baby. And the mother's dead, he'll die out there by himself." I gave him a sad look.

His demeanor softened a little. "How do ya know the mother's dead?"

"I saw her under a bush. That's where I found this little guy." I tickled under his chin. "I named him Gus." I smiled.

Daryl sighed. "I'm sorry, Le, but ya cain't keep 'im."

"Why?" I looked at him wide eyed.

"Cuz he may be a baby now, but he's still a wild animal. He could snap at any moment."

I looked down at Gus. "You wouldn't do that, huh, Gus Gus?"

"Le, I'm tryin' to keep my patience here. He cain't stay." My brother gave me a stern look.

I looked at him sadly then at Gus then back to my brother. "Well…cain't he just stay the night. I'll take 'im back first thang in the mornin'."

"No, Leann. Yer just gonna make it harder on yerself cuz yer gonna get attached to 'im."

"Please, Daryl. Please. I promise I'll take 'im back first thang." I gave him my sad face.

My brother stood there scowling at me for a while. "Fine!" He finally yelled. "I hope he bites ya! Then, ya won't want 'im no more."

I watched him walk away then smiled at Gus. "Ya hear that, Gus! Daryl says ya can stay the night!" I said excitedly. Daryl shook his head.

* * *

"Beg fer the treat, Gus. Come on beg." I said. I made the gesture a few times, eventually he caught on and did it. I gasped excitedly. "Look, Daryl! I taught Gus a trick!" I showed him. He didn't look impressed. "Ain't that cool? He's so smart!"

"Yeah, he's smart." Daryl said while chewing. "That's why he don't belong in the house, he belongs out there. And don't get attached. I mean it, Leann. He's goin' back tomorra."

"I know." I put my head down. "But maybe you'll change yer mind before then." I smiled.

"Don't count on it." He glared at me. "In fact, you ain't gotta do nothin'. He'll be gone when ya wake up in the mornin'."

I shook my head. "You don't have to do that, I can—

"No, I do. I'm gonna take 'im. That way I know ya cain't go lookin' fer 'im."

I frowned and put my head down. "I guess I should say goodbye before I go to sleep then." I carried Gus into his room and put him in the crib.

"Ya know he ain't a real baby, right?" Daryl said. I didn't even know he followed me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Bye, Gus." I hugged him. "I'll miss ya." I gave him a kiss then sat on the floor next to his crib.

* * *

I sat by the fireplace the next day waiting for Daryl to come back. He took Gus this morning just like he said. I was so sad. Just then, I looked up when I heard the door open. "He's gone."

"You didn't kill 'im, did ya?"

"No." My brother gave me disappointed look. "The thought did cross my mind, though."

I turned away from him and stared sadly at the fire. Daryl came over to me and put his hand on my head. "I'm sorry, Sissy. I know ya just wanted a new pet to replace Jax, but—

"No other pet could ever replace Jax." I cut him off.

He cleared his throat. " _But_ …ya cain't have a raccoon as a pet." He finished the sentence that I cut off.

"You seemed okay when I first told ya I got a new pet."

"Yeah, but I thought you meant ya found a lizard or a mouse. Hell, even a caterpillar. But I ain't never thought you'd have a raccoon."

"He was a good boy." I said sadly. "And super smart."

"Yeah, well, he's gone now, and yer just gonna have to forget about 'im." He paused. "And don't ever do that again or I'll make sure ya never sit again." He sat down behind me and gave me a quick hug then kissed the top of my head. "I am sorry, though."

I nodded.

* * *

Later that day, Daryl and I went out looking for supplies. We didn't have much luck. It was pretty much a wasted trip, plus, we had to travel quite a distance before we found another house or store.

We were almost back at the house now. At least we had a pretty good dinner last night with the small deer Daryl got.

"I figure we'll stay one more night then move on." My brother said. "Sound good?"

"Yeah, sure." I nodded. "Hopefully, we find some more water soon."

"Yeah, maybe we'll get lucky and it'll rain or somethin'." My brother looked up at the sky. We arrived back at the house. "We don't want a storm, though." He opened the door. "That'll just slow us…down." I stepped inside and saw what he was looking at. The house was a mess, there was stuff everywhere including the little bit of food we had left. Suddenly, we heard a noise then saw a can roll across the kitchen floor. "Go back outside." Daryl whispered to me.

"No." I mouthed shaking my head. I wasn't just going to leave him in there. He walked over slowly with his crossbow up, I followed close behind with my gun. Daryl rounded the corner quickly pointing his crossbow, then looked down. His shoulders seemed to slump and he put his bow down. "It's fer you." He glared at me. I gave him a confused look then walked over. Gus was in there! I gasped.

"Gus!" I got down and petted him. "You came back!" I excitedly looked at my brother. "Told ya he was smart!" Daryl just stood there with his infamous scowl on his face. I picked up Gus and sat down on the couch with him. "Yer such a good boy." I rubbed him.

"Good boy my ass!" Daryl snapped. "He ruined the house and ate the little food we had!"

I stared at my brother. "Yeah, but…he came back." I smiled sweetly.

I saw Daryl watching me with Gus, he had that annoyed look on his face. "Ya really like that damn thang, don't ya?"

"I do." I hugged him. "He's my baby." I giggled.

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "Hmm…all right. Ya can keep 'im."

I looked at him wide eyed. "Really? Ya mean it?"

"Yeah, but he stays out in the shed in a cage. Not in the house, got it?"

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" I got up and gave my brother a big hug.

"All right." He patted my head. "Let's go put that thang—Gus," he corrected himself, "in the shed."

"Okay." I smiled.

* * *

"There." Daryl said locking the cage. "That should do it. He won't eat no more of our food now."

"I hope he'll be all right out here."

"He'll be fine." My brother reassured me. "Now, you get yer little rear inside and clean up that mess."

I huffed. "Why do I have to clean it up? Gus is the one that did it."

"Well, Gus is _yer_ pet, so gets to cleanin'."

"Fine." I crossed my arms and walked away. Daryl smirked and swatted me as I walked by.

After I finished cleaning the mess Gus made, I scraped up a little food that Gus didn't finish and took it out to him. "Here, Gus Gus." I unlocked his cage and reached for him but he hissed at me and then bit me. "Ah!" I yelled and quickly pulled my hand away. Gus made his escape and ran out the door. "Gus, wait!" I ran after him but he was too fast. I watched him run off into the woods. I felt bad, but I had bigger problems on my hands right now. Literally. I looked down at my hand where Gus bit me. "Ow."

I slowly opened the door and went inside. "Daryl?"

"What?" He was sitting at the table looking at a map.

"Gus is gone." I stated. He finally looked up at me. "I opened his cage to feed him and he took off. I guess he was mad we put 'im in nere cuz he bit me."

"What? He bit ya?" My brother immediately made his way over to me. "Where? Lemme see." I held out my hand, he examined it. "Shit." He had a look of concern on his face. "What's it feel like?"

"Well, it hurts."

"Does it feel like it's tinglin'?"

I shook my head. "Why? Do ya think I could have the rabies?"

He sighed. "Come on." He rushed me into the bathroom and cleaned the bite for me then wrapped it. "If you feel that thang tinglin' or burnin', ya let me know, ya hear?"

I nodded.

Suddenly, he threw his hands up. "Damn it! I knew it was a bad idea!"

I put my head down. This is my fault again.

* * *

Later that day, Daryl and I were sitting on the couch. I leaned on him and he pushed my hair back. I was worried about the bite, I knew my brother could tell but he couldn't offer me much comfort because he was worried, too.

"Le, I want ya to know I was just jokin' when I said I hope he bites ya."

I snorted. "Yeah, I know."

Suddenly, we heard a noise outside and jumped up. My brother looked out the window. "I don't see nothin'." He grabbed his crossbow then glanced at me. "Stay 'ere." I watched him go, he headed towards the shed. I swallowed hard. He better be okay.

My brother came back moments later. I was worried because I heard quite the commotion out there. He had a very strange look on his face, it was like a mixture of sadness, concern and…fear. He just slowly closed the door and came inside.

"What is it?" I finally asked. He hesitated, he opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. "Daryl, what is it? Just tell me!"

He sighed then finally spoke. "…Gus…he came back…I killed 'im. I had to. He was…sick."

My eyes widened and I looked down at the floor. So many thoughts went through my head. What if I'm… I sat down on the couch before I fell. Daryl sat next to me. "But…if he had the rabies then that means…I could have the rabies." I looked at my brother, eyes still wide. Daryl didn't say anything just rubbed my leg. "We—we gotta go find medicine. I—I could be sick."

"Le…"

"Daryl, if I's got the rabies then I need medicine fer it!"

My brother sighed. "Le…I need ya to listen to me now…listen to me…" I gave him my full attention. "I don't want ya to get scared, okay? But ya need to know…there is no cure, baby." My eyes couldn't have gotten any wider. I started breathing very heavily. "Le, Leann. I need ya to calm down, that ain't gonna help any."

"But I'm gonna die. I could have the rabies." I said each word in-between breaths.

"Just don't think about it. Ya might be fine!"

"Yeah, and I might not be." I started crying.

My brother's expression softened. "Don't cry. Please, don't cry." He held me tightly and gently rocked me.

"I'm not okay…" I whispered.

* * *

Daryl stayed with me through the night. I sat in his lap by the fire, he had his arms wrapped around me. Neither of us said anything. I was terrified. Completely terrified. I could seriously die. And all we could do now is wait. Wait to see if I was sick. Wait to see…if I would live…or die…

We heard another noise outside. I looked up at Daryl. He gritted his teeth and gently lifted me off him. "Stay 'ere."

"No, Daryl! Please don't go!"

"Shh." He soothed me. "It's gonna be fine." He grabbed his crossbow and headed out the door just like last time. I impatiently waited for his return. Just then, I had a scary thought; what if the rabies started to set in while Daryl was gone and I died alone. I swallowed hard and realized how dry my throat was. I gasped. My brother said thirst is a symptom. I grabbed a bottle of water and drank it down. My face felt hot. "Stop it!" I told myself. "Yer just scarin' yerself." I paused and wondered briefly if talking to yourself was also a symptom.

Suddenly, the door flew open and startled me. Daryl ran inside. "Le! Oh, Le!" He grabbed me and lifted me. I was scared, by the way he acting but the thing is, he didn't look worried at all, he looked…relieved? "It wasn't Gus!" He yelled. "The raccoon I killed wasn't Gus! He's still alive!"

"But how could ya know?"

"That was him out there in the shed just now. He begged me fer a treat just like ya taught 'im! That's how I know!" I gave my brother an incredulous look. "Don't ya get it, baby? That means yer okay! Yer okay!" His words finally sunk in and I hugged him tightly around the neck.

We finally let go of each other and he set me on my feet. I smiled up at him through my tears. "I'm okay? Really? I don't have the rabies?"

"Ya don't have the rabies." Daryl stated. I didn't know what else to do besides laugh. My brother laughed along with me. "No more raccoons fer you, little lady." Daryl said to me. We stood there laughing in the middle of the night like two crazy people. We didn't care how we looked, though. In fact, we couldn't be happier.

* * *

 **I totally ripped this whole storyline off an episode of Little House on the prairie! XD Hope ya liked it, though! :D**

 **R.I.P Jax :(**


	7. I'll Show Ya

"I refuse to stay in this shed any longer." I pouted.

"Ya don't wanna stay in the woods, ya don't wanna stay in a barn, ya don't wanna stay here." Daryl mocked me. "What do ya want, girl?"

I gave him a stupid look. "When I said I wanted a place to stay, this isn't exactly what I had in mind, smartass."

"Yeah, well it's been good enough…fer now."

"You promised we would leave today." I whined. "Look, it's such a perfect day!"

"Alright, alright." Daryl gave in. "I don't wanna be here as much as you don't."

"Thank God!" I said grabbing my bag.

* * *

We were walking through the woods when we found a creek! "Wow, Daryl, look!" I pointed ahead. "There's water!"

"I knew we'd find some eventually." Daryl said.

I sat my bag down and pulled out the pump. Daryl reached for it. "I can do it." I took a few steps back.

"Nah, yer too clumsy." He said. He tried to grab it again.

"No, I'm not! I can do it!" I yelled. I took another step back and slipped off the rock I was on. "Whoa!" I fell right into the water. It was deeper than I had anticipated and it was freezing. I emerged from the water and looked around for the water pump, it started to float away but I grabbed it in time. I looked up when I heard Daryl laughing. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Yer right, Sissy, you ain't clumsy."

I felt embarrassed. "I wanted to do that." I lied.

"Sure." Daryl said sarcastically.

"I did! I wanted to go for a swim." I floated on my back and looked up at Daryl.

"Alright." He raised his eyebrows.

"Ya comin' in or are ya too scared?" I mocked him.

"I ain't gettin' in there. Gettin' my clothes wet and havin' to walk around in them all day."

"Well…I'll be nice and cool." I smirked. I swam to the side so I could get out.

"Hot still beats wet." He let out a little laugh.

I gritted my teeth. I climbed out of the water and kept slipping on the muddy hillside. "Shut up and help me!" I yelled. Daryl finally walked down to where I was and put his hand out. I took it and he pulled me up. I sighed putting my arms out and looking down at my wet clothes. "This sucks."

"Yeah." Daryl cleared his throat. "Probably a bad time to mention…ya didn't get any water." I put my head back and sighed loudly. "Let me do it." Daryl offered.

"No, let me. I'm already wet." I started making my way back down the hill. I could hear Daryl laughing at me again.

* * *

Later on, we found a spot where we could set up camp. "Finish settin' up." Daryl said. "I'm gonna go hunt."

"How come yer always the one who hunts?" Daryl stopped and gave me a questioning look. " _I'll_ go hunt. _You_ set up camp." I threw a box of matches to him.

"I'm just used to it." He said.

"I know. I just wanna…you know, switch thangs up."

"Alright." Daryl shrugged. I gathered up my stuff and started to walk off. "Hey, don't be gone too long or I'll come lookin' fer ya."

"Yeah, I know how to survive." I said without turning around.

"Good luck!" Daryl called. There was a bit of laughter in his voice. I turned around and saluted him.

* * *

I wasn't out here for very long. I already missed a raccoon and two rabbits. Or maybe that was the same rabbit? I don't know, but I do know that I'm a shitty hunter. I need to come back with something, though. I want to impress my brother; I want to show him that I'm just as capable as he is. I sighed loudly. If I would have gotten that raccoon, it'd be funny because of what happened with Gus. I don't know what happened to him after we left that house. He's probably fine, though.

Just then, I heard a growl. I looked out of the side of my left eye…I saw it standing there, watching me. Any minute it's going to attack. I stood there frozen. _You can't give up now!_ I tried to tell myself. _Kill it! You can do it!_ It walked a little closer. My heart started racing. I slowly and quietly lifted my gun. I was breathing very heavily now. I turned ever so slightly and made eye contact with the beast. I cocked my shotgun, the noise must have unsettled it because it started running right at me. I didn't waste any time. I held my guard and I shot it right in the chest! It laid on the ground in front of me. It struggled to get up so I ran to it and quickly stabbed it in the head. I sat beside it and just looked at it. I can't believe that just happened. I picked its back legs up and started to drag it back to camp. Daryl is going to be amazed.

* * *

Daryl was sitting in front of the campfire sharpening his knife on a rock when I got back. He looked up when he saw me. "Hey, I was just about to come find ya."

"I killed a wolf."

He stopped scraping his knife. "What?"

"I killed a wolf." I repeated in the same tone.

He continued to stare at me. It was like he was waiting for me to say I was kidding. When he realized I was being serious, he stood up and came over to me.

"Are ya okay?"

I ignored his question. "It's right here." I pointed to where I hid it behind the tree.

Daryl was speechless. "Wow." He finally said.

"Pretty crazy, right?"

He nodded slowly. "Yer one lucky girl I can tell ya that much."

"I know, right? I thought I was gonna die." I laughed.

"Well…get busy." Daryl finally said.

"What?"

"You gotta skin it and gut it."

I opened my mouth to say something but instead just closed it. "What? You thought you'd leave it for me to do?" Daryl said my unspoken words.

"Well…I—"

"Well, nothin'." Daryl cut me off. "Ya wanted to go huntin', killin' ain't the only part."

"But I don't know how." I admitted.

"I'll show ya." He grabbed my arm and walked me over to the dead wolf. "Like this, little lady." He held his knife over the torso and brought it down but stopped right before stabbing it. He handed me the knife.

"Okay." I cleared my throat. I did exactly what he did except I actually stabbed it.

"Now work your way down."

I pulled the knife with me. I could feel it ripping its way through the flesh. It was almost sickening.

"No, no." Daryl said. "Like this." He knelt down behind me. He put his hands around mine and helped guide the knife down. "Think yer gettin' the hang of it?"

"Yeah." I breathed. He took his arms from around me and stepped back. I finished what I needed to do.

"I'll do this part." Daryl offered.

"No, let me." I said. I put my hands inside where I cut and pulled out its insides. I threw everything aside. "Next?" I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

"You got some blood." Daryl said pulling out his bandana and wiping the blood from my forehead. I smiled at him. "Now we skin it." Daryl said. He showed me how to skin the wolf. We did that part together because it took a little longer.

"Nice." He said when we finished. "Let's cook this sumbitch."

* * *

We had a nice dinner that night. It would have been nicer if Daryl said something to about me killing the wolf. I was waiting for him to tell he was proud of me. I mean…I killed a wolf. Daryl has killed plenty of different animals so we could have food before. But he ain't ever killed a wolf.

I wasn't as talkative as I usually am. I just sat there and looked into the fire. "Sissy?" I looked over at him. "Ya okay?"

I hesitated. "Yeah, I'm fine." I shrugged. Then looked back down at the fire.

"Ya don't seem fine."

"I am." I said annoyed.

"Alright." Daryl said. "I just wanted to make sure. You coulda got hurt out there, ya know?"

I gave him a stupid look but didn't say anything. I felt mad. Mad at Daryl. I was mad because he didn't congratulate me. I mean…come on. I thought he would make a way bigger deal. I know he worries about me a lot but still. If it were he and Merle, I'm sure it'd be different. All of a sudden, I was overtaken by emotions for some strange and crazy reason and a sob escaped from me. I didn't think it was loud enough for Daryl to hear but apparently it was because he moved closer to me. "Ya know, you can talk to me if somethin' is botherin' ya."

"I know." I said. "It's okay."

"Is it?"

I didn't answer.

"I just want to make sure yer alright."

"It's fine. It ain't a big deal." I said softly.

"So there is somethin' botherin' you." Daryl stated.

"What? No."

"Ya just said it ain't a big deal."

"…cuz it ain't."

"Okay." He put his arm around me. "So just tell me then."

I bit my lip angrily. I wanted to tell him but I didn't want to sound like one of those annoying, dramatic teenage girls. That wasn't me. I sighed.

"Are ya gonna tell me or not?"

I looked at him. "Fine! But yer gonna think it's stupid." I crossed my arms and looked down. "I'm mad cuz I killed that wolf and ya didn't say nothin' about it."

Daryl was silent for a minute. "…thats' why yer mad?" I didn't answer. I kept my arms crossed and looked the other way. "Le…why would ya be mad about somethin' like that?"

"Told ya you'd think it was stupid." I said without looking at him. Then I sighed and finally looked at him. "I don't know…I don't know what's wrong with me. I just got emotional fer some reason."

My brother snorted. "Don't tell me yer gonna turn all girly on me now?"

I glared at him. "Never. Don't even say that. I ain't like that."

"I know." He smirked.

I sighed again. "I actually don't like huntin'."

"Then why'd ya want to?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Just to do it, I guess."

"Ya seemed like you liked it before. Ya always wanted to go with me." My brother pointed out.

"That's cuz I just wanted to…" I trailed off and my face flushed.

"Wanted to what?"

I put my head down. "I-I just wanted to go with you. I like spendin' time with ya."

He gave me a sideways smile. "I like ya spendin' time with me, too. Why was ya embarrassed to tell me that?"

"…cuz I'm fifteen. I'm too old to miss my big brother all the time."

"No, yer not. Come'er." I moved closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He just rubbed my arm. "You cold?"

"…a little." I lied. He pulled me closer to him and rested his head on top of mine.

We were quiet for a minute. My brother cleared his throat. "Remember that time we went campin'? The first time? Ya wanted to go real bad."

I smiled. "Yeah, I remember. We had fun."

"How old was ya? Seven? Eight?"

"Somethin' like that."

"You was such a little sweetie pie." My brother pinched my cheek.

I moved my head off him and looked at him raising an eyebrow. "And I ain't now?"

He smirked and shook his head. "Well, sure…if ya don't open yer mouth." I giggled. "Yeah, it was right around twelve when ya started gettin' mouthy. My brother continued.

"Wonder where I got that from?" I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes.

Daryl snorted. "Ya thank ya got it from me?"

"Who else? I was around ya all the time…well, till ya left."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"Let's not go back to that." I half grinned. I suddenly had a thought. "By the way, ya remember that promise we made to each other? About not keepin' secrets no more?"

"Of course." My brother nodded.

"Well…there's somthin' I never told ya." I gave him a nervous look. "It's about Merle."

He gave me a kinda scowl. "Now I'm curious." He turned himself towards me. "Go on."

"…well…we…" I rang my hands nervously. "…so, sometimes when ya were out on a run…Merle and me would like…drink together and sometimes…smoke weed…" I gave him a scared look while he just stared at me.

"You got drunk with Merle but not me?" He finally said.

 _What? That is not the response I was expecting to hear._ "Y-yeah." I shook my head. "You wouldn't let me drink, remember? Back at the motel."

"That wasn't the right place with all them guys."

I almost laughed. "What did ya think was gonna happen? Someone was gonna grab me with you sittin' right there?"

"Yeah." He gave me serious look.

"Well, some guy was tryin' to get me to smoke with him." I giggled.

"When was this?"

"You went to the bathroom."

My brother scowled. "Nasty pervert."

"Well, he was slightly attractive."

Daryl gave me a look. I laughed. "I'm kiddin'."

"Yeah, ya better be."

"What? I cain't like guys?"

"Not ones that are way older than ya. He could be yer dad."

"Whatever." I yawned and stretched. "I'm tired." I rolled over and laid down on the ground. "Nighty night."

"I thought I'd let ya keep watch." Daryl said. My eyes shot open. "But since yer tired…"

"I can keep watch." I sat up quickly.

Daryl smirked at me. "Ya sure?"

"Yeah." I nodded quickly. "I can do it."

* * *

I sat there on a log looking around. Daryl was sleeping for once. I was glad, it ain't fair for him to have to worry about us all the time. Still, I'm surprised he's letting me do this. I kept hearing noises in the woods, I jumped every time. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But the thing is, I couldn't wake my brother up. I HAD to show that I can handle this. And if I can, then maybe he'll say he's proud of me. That's all I want.

As I was sitting there, I started to feel tired. My eyelids were heavy. I tried to stay awake but I was just so dang bored. My eyes were slowly closing by themselves and I dozed off. Just then, I heard a noise like someone or something bumped into the line we had tied around the camp sight. My eyes shot open and suddenly I wasn't tired anymore. I pulled out my gun and slowly stood up. I quietly walked over to where I heard the noise, I had to be careful not to wake Daryl. I brandished my gun while looking around. I couldn't see anything in the thick darkness. The noise stopped. I waited. When I didn't see or hear anything else, I relaxed a little. Must have been a rabbit or something.

I was about to go back and sit down when suddenly I heard footsteps. They sounded as if they become closer and faster. I was getting scared. I stepped backwards a little and the footsteps got even louder and faster. I was really scared now. Someone is clearly out there and headed towards me. "Who's there?" I whispered. Of course no one answered. Just then someone ran out at me. I shot at them immediately but missed. They ran and I ran after them I kept shooting and eventually I heard a yelp and the person fall to the ground. I went over to them, I could just see them in the moonlight. "Please." The man said. I couldn't take any chances. I gritted my teeth and shot him just like my brother would.

"Leann! What the hell are ya doin'?" My brother yelled form behind me.

"T-there—there was a man…

"I know! I can see that! Why the hell didn't ya wake me up?"

"I didn't…I thought—

"I told ya if anythang happened to wake me up. So why didn't ya listen to me?"

"Daryl, I—

"I don't wanna hear it! I'm sick 'a this, Leann! Ya do this shit all the time!" He grabbed my arm and started dragging me back to camp. "Why cain't ya ever just do what yer told?"

"Daryl, it's fine. I took care of it." I stated.

"It ain't fine! Ya coulda got hurt or worse!" We reached the camp. "Ya had yer fun! Now, lay down and go to sleep! I'll keep watch!"

I put my head down. I hated getting yelled at.

"Never trustin' ya do this again."

Great. I thought. So much for he being proud of me. I'm a fuck up. "I'm sorry." I said quietly then rolled over.

* * *

I hardly got any sleep that night. Daryl already had a fire going when I woke up. I opened a can of baked beans that I had in my bag with my knife. "Don't get cut." Daryl said to me. I held the can over the fire with a stick. "I'll be right back." He said then walked off. I didn't feel like talking. I couldn't even look at Daryl after last night. I felt like a dumb, little kid.

The beans were just about ready when my brother came back. "Smells good." He said. He pushed my hair back as he walked passed me then sat down on the log next to me. "Don't burn yerself."

I dumped the beans into two small bowls we found, I gave Daryl a little more. "Ya coulda gave yerself more." He said. I didn't reply. I just sat there and sadly ate my beans. "I say we try to find some wheels. Maybe we won't have to sleep on the ground tonight." My brother said. We sat there in silence for a long time. Daryl wasn't talking probably because I wasn't, and as I said before, I didn't feel like talking. I think Daryl can tell there's something wrong because he kept giving me glances, which I was ignoring. "Hey, Le?" My brother finally spoke. His voice was soft. "About last night…I'm sorry fer yellin' at ya like that. I know you was just tryin' to help, but I worry about ya all the time. Still, I didn't mean to be so hard on ya. It's easy to ferget yer just a kid."

I finished my beans and pushed the bowl aside then looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy morning. "We should go." I stood up and brushed the dirt off my pants.

"Yeah." I heard my brother say.


	8. You'll Have to Catch Me First

Daryl and I haven't said a word for a long time. We were lucky enough to find a car and have been traveling for some time now. I saw a sign not too far back; apparently we are in Westmoreland County now. I started to feel anxious for some reason. We will have to find another place we can stay a while sooner or later. I don't think I can take much more of this aimlessly wandering around.

I absentmindedly stared out the window of the car while Daryl was driving. I read a sign: _Clear Rivers._

Suddenly I heard moans. I looked over to Daryl's side, there was a herd of walkers in the woods.

"What the hell?" I said.

Daryl mumbled a low audible, "I know."

"That's bad."

"Don't worry about 'em. We're gonna get far away; they're not our problem."

"What if we find a place up ahead and they catch up to us?"

Daryl gave me an almost sympathetic look. He didn't say anything, but I knew what it meant. He doesn't think we'll ever find a place. We were silent for a moment. "It could happen." I said quietly.

* * *

We weren't driving for very long when we rode over a nail. Popped a hole right in the tire. "Shit!" Daryl yelled and punched the steering wheel. He stopped the car. We got out to exam it and yup that's what happened. We ran over a rusty nail. Luckily, we had a spare tire. However, they don't last very long so we knew it would only be a matter of time before we were on our feet again. You wanna do this?" My brother asked me.

"No…I'll just mess it up." I said sadly.

Daryl gave me a look then looked back in the trunk. "Son of a bitch." He said.

"What's wrong?"

"We don't have a tire iron."

I suddenly grew angry and sort of shutdown. Then an idea popped into my head.

"Ya know, I thank I saw one on the road not too far back."

"For real?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah." I lied.

"How far?"

"Uh…well…it was like maybe five-ten minutes ago."

"Nah, ain't worth it." Daryl said.

"I'll go. You stay here." I shrugged.

"Le—"

"It's fine!" I snapped. "I'll be back in no time!" I started off in the direction we came.

I heard Daryl sigh. I looked back and he wasn't following me, though, so that's good.

* * *

I made it back to the spot with all the walkers in record timing. I stared ahead at all of them, there had to be more than a couple dozen but less than fifty.

I took a deep breath then steadied myself. I was ready. I whistled loudly, getting their attention.

"Come get me."

They started coming towards me one by one at first, then there would be a clump then one at a time again. I killed the first two with my silenced pistol. I didn't want to use up the bullets, they would go quickly if I did, so I pulled out my knife. There were two of them that were right on each other with another not far behind. I jumped up and grabbed both of their heads, I smashed them together as hard as I could. I stabbed the next one in the eye with my knife. More of them were coming now. I wasn't worried, I felt like I could handle anything after being in that pit. I probably couldn't but in that moment I must have thought I was invincible or something.

I kicked the next one's knee out, when it fell to the ground I curb stomped its head. Three were coming at me in a group. I threw my knife at the last one, it was a prefect shot. The first two were coming fast, and there was more behind them. I took out my ax and finished off the closest two. "This is easier than I thought." More of them were coming.

* * *

My hands were on my knees as I was panting. I was covered in blood. I looked up and saw walkers still coming for me, just like I wanted them to. I was feeling faint, probably going to pass out any minute. My vision blurred, my hearing was fading. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. There was a walker coming right for me. I didn't care though, I was too weak. I lifted my ax and hit it in the face. It fell to the ground with my ax still stuck in its face. I copied it and collapsed onto the ground. I watched the other walkers coming, but I couldn't do anything else. I reached my limit. I failed. _Sorry Daryl…I'm sorry I'm such a fuck up. "_ This is really it." I accepted my death. I heard jacqui's voice when she was saying goodbye to Jim. _"Just close your eyes, sweetheart."_ "Yeah." I said. "Just close your eyes. It will all be over soon." The last thing I saw was a walker right on me. I closed and opened my eyes a couple times before closing them completely. Just then, I heard a familiar sound; they say the last thing that goes is your hearing. I heard that noise again, and it also sounded like the walkers were hitting the pavement.

"Leann!" I heard and suddenly my eyes shot back open. I saw Daryl! He was there and he was killing walkers! I looked down and the walker that was on me had an arrow through its head. I wasn't bit!

I suddenly didn't feel weak anymore. I pushed the dead body off me and got up, I ripped my ax from the walker's face and helped Daryl kill off the rest of the walkers.

* * *

We stood there panting, neither one of us talking. I collected my knife from the one walker that I threw it at.

"Are you alright?" Daryl came over to me and quickly examined me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Nothin' bit or scratched ya?"

I shook my head frantically. I felt a little out of it. I really just almost died. Daryl gave me an angry look then started walking back in the direction where we left the car.

"Daryl?" I started running after him. "Please don't be mad at me. Daryl!"

"Where's the tire iron, Le?" He spun around quickly.

I was taken aback at first, then I realized what he just asked me. I put my head down. "There ain't one."

"Ya lied to me." He snapped. "And you almost got yerself killed!"

"Daryl—" I tried.

"I cain't trust ya right now. And to think I just apologized fer…" He sighed. "I don't know what yer tryin' to prove, but ya need to knock it off before ya get yerself killed."

"Daryl, I'm sorry." I cried. "Please don't be mad at me." I grabbed his arm.

He snorted and pushed me off of him. Then he started walking again.

We walked to the car in silence.

* * *

We were back on the road in the car. Daryl managed to change the tire, I don't know how, I didn't ask. It didn't matter. We weren't talking at the moment. I knew Daryl was mad and I didn't blame him. He told me before that he worries about me. His worry comes out in anger because he doesn't know any other way of expressing it. I understood that without him saying it. I fucked up, though…again.

"Daryl, I'm really sorry." I finally spoke. "Please don't be mad at me."

He glanced at me and didn't say anything. Then he sighed and looked back over at me. His expression was softer. "I'm not mad at ya, Sissy." He said. "Just…why would ya do that?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I was angry. I wanted to blow off some steam."

Daryl snorted. "Ya don't blow off steam by killin'…forty walkers. That's how ya kill yerself. And ya used all our ammo."

"I know, I'm so stupid." I looked down in embarrassment. "I'm a fuck up."

"Hey," he said, I looked at him, "no one could kill that many walkers alone. No one."

I still wasn't convinced. "I bet you could."

"No, I couldn't."

I looked out the window.

"Stop trying to get yourself killed." Daryl said. I felt his hand on my shoulder then he squeezed.

"I'll try." I smiled.

"And I don't wanna hear ya call yerself stupid or a fuck up ever again, ya hear me?"

I nodded.

* * *

It wasn't long before the spare tire was completely worn out. It's like driving on a doughnut. We grabbed our stuff and it was back to walking. It's super hot today, but I guess it's better than being cold. We decided to walk through the woods. The trees would shade us so it would be a lot cooler.

I finally sat down on a tree stump. I took my water out of my bag and took a sip.

Daryl looked back. "You alright?"

"I guess…can we just like chill for minute?" I said. "I mean…it's not like we're goin' somewhere."

Daryl nodded and sat down next to me. I handed him the bottle of water. "Nah, I'm good."

I gave him a look. "Daryl."

He sighed but grabbed the bottle taking a big gulp. "Happy?" He handed it back to me.

"Yes."

Daryl looked up through the trees. "Looks like it's still early afternoon. So we got plenty of daylight left to find shelter for the night."

My knee started to hurt all of a sudden. "We actually don't have _that_ much time." I said. Daryl gave me a questioning look. "It's gonna rain."

He let out a little laugh. "What are ya a weather girl now?"

"My knee hurts when it's gonna rain." I said seriously.

"Huh, we'll see about that."

"It's true." I got up, Daryl copied me. We started walking.

* * *

"Does your knee hurt bad?" Daryl asked me.

"What?" I turned to him.

"Ya said yer knee hurts?"

"Oh." I blinked. "No, it's not bad."

"Are ya sure?" Daryl said. "Because I can…carry you."

I let out a little laugh. "No, that's okay."

"What? You don't want me to?" He smirked.

"Uh, no but you don't _need_ to." I stopped. "It's hot as hell."

"I can handle the heat."

"Oh yeah, you're a tough guy." I teased.

He gave me a look and I giggled.

It was starting to cloud up.

"Maybe yer right, maybe it is gon' rain." Daryl said.

"I know I'm right." I smiled. He just shook his head at me. I got a sharp pain in my leg out of no where and stumbled a little. I hoped Daryl didn't notice, but he did.

"You okay?" He asked immediately.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said. He wasn't convinced.

"Ya sure ya don't want me to—"

"Yeah, Daryl, I'm sure." I laughed.

He stopped and looked at me while I laughed at him. "I just think ya don't like me." He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"No." I laughed. I fought him off me.

"Okay okay!" I said. "I'll let ya carry me, but…ya have to catch me first!"

I started running, I kept looking back at him.

"I'm not playin' this game with you." He said.

"Yeah, cuz ya know ya cain't catch me." I called. Suddenly, I saw him running after me in full speed. "Oh shit!" I started running faster. I was laughing the whole way. I finally ran out of the woods. The sky was really dark. I stopped when I reached a cliff. Daryl caught up with me as we heard thunder. "Oh uh." He said. Then it started pouring.

At first we enjoyed the rain considering how hot it was, but then we heard a loud crack of thunder that made both of us stop and take notice of the sky. It looked dangerous. We shared a look that said, _we need to find shelter. Now._

"There was a sign!" I shouted over the storm.

"What?"

"It said Clear Rivers! I don't remember how far but there has to be someplace there that we can get out of the storm!"

Daryl looked around. "Sounds like our best bet!"

* * *

We ran through the woods for a long time, hoping that the tornado or whatever it is would hold off until we got there.

We found a small building. It was one of those rest areas that you can stop at when you're traveling. This would have to do for now. It will at least get us out of the storm.

"You okay?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah." I said crossing my arms over my chest. "I just wish we had some dry clothes."

"Maybe we'll find some on the way."

I nodded. "I'll be right back."

I walked into the ladies room. It was pretty dark in there, but I could still see. I took all of my clothes off, except my bra and underwear, to ring them out. I tried the best I could.

It felt so gross to put on wet clothes, it's one of the worst feelings. I quickly combed through my hair with my fingers then tied it up in a bun. _Having long hair right now is so annoying._ I thought.

I absentmindedly glanced over and noticed a tampon dispenser. It just made me realize that I haven't gotten my period in the longest time. I don't even think I can remember the last time. I ain't complaining, don't get me wrong, but I just hope there isn't anything wrong with me.

I heard a loud noise that sounded like glass breaking followed by another. _Uh oh._

I went back out to join Daryl and see what happened.

He had broken the drink and snack machines open and was stuffing our bag. I just looked at him. "What?" He said. "Free food."

"I ain't judgin'." I laughed.

* * *

All the snacks were expired so there wasn't anything to eat. We just sat on the floor and watched the storm hoping that it would end soon.

"Looks like we're here for the night." Daryl said.

I looked up from the travel book I was looking at.

"Oh yeah." I said. "Damn, I didn't even realize it got dark." I got up and put the book back and was snooping around for another. That's when I saw one that said Clear Rivers. I picked it up and started looking at it. I didn't believe my eyes. Clear Rivers is a community! It looks like it used to be a college campus.

"Daryl look!" I showed him the brochure.

"How 'bout that?" He said.

 _We gotta find this place._ "Are we gonna go?"

"Sissy, we don't even know if this place is still there."

"No, but we could at least find out."

He nodded. "We'll see."

I smiled and laid my head on his lap. He played with my hair until I fell asleep.

* * *

We left early the next morning. The storm was completely gone and the sun was out.

We already traveled for a long time. I assumed we were going to find Clear Rivers Campus so I didn't say anything.

"Ya think there's people there?"

"Where?" Daryl asked.

"Clear Rivers."

"Maybe, but who cares."

"You said we would go."

"I never said that."

I stopped in annoyance. "Come on, Daryl." I whined. "I hate this."

"I didn't say we wouldn't either. I just said maybe." He looked at the sky. "I don't know how I feel about it. So just…get it out of yer mind fer now."

I was about to argue but then I had a thought. "Okay." I shrugged. "But…you'll have to catch me first." I gave him a big smile then ran.

"I ain't doin' this again, Leann."

"That's cuz yer smoker's lungs cain't catch me!" I teased him and laughed. Just then I saw him running after me. "Oh shit!" I started running faster. I laughed. _Just like yesterday._

I ran onto the road and off a sort of exit. I turned around and saw Daryl but he was far behind. I laughed. I ran down a small road, it kind of looked like there was a gate. I just kept running to it not really thinking.

"Stop right there!"

I froze dead in my tracks for a moment then I put my gun up. It was empty but they didn't know that. Suddenly, Daryl was right beside me with his crossbow up. Two guys emerged from the top of the gate. Must be lookouts or something.

"Drop your weapons!" One of them yelled.

"Gonna make us?" I yelled back.

"Sure, why not?" The other guy said smartly.

"Why don't ya come down here and get 'em then?" Daryl said.

"I wouldn't." He said. "We got a lot more fire power than you."

"Try us!" I snapped.

"Whoa whoa!" Another voice said. A woman emerged from down below. I have no idea where she came from. I aimed my gun at her.

"What's going on here?" She asked. She was an older lady.

"These people just showed up here." One of the guys said.

"You gonna let us take care of them or not?" The other asked.

"No!" She snapped. "Put your guns down!" They didn't listen. "Boys!" The woman yelled again. After a moment's hesitation, they obliged. She turned to us. "You, too."

I looked at Daryl. He thought for a minute then gave me a nod and we lowered our weapons.

"What are you here for?" She asked us.

"Vacation." Daryl snapped. I giggled under my breath.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. "What are your names?" She asked.

I decided to be serious and civil. "I'm Leann, this is Daryl."

She nodded. No one spoke for a moment. "Are you looking for shelter?"

"Sure." I said.

"Well you've come to the right place." She said. "But we need to know why we should let you in."

Daryl and I looked at each other. The truth was, we didn't have anything good to say even though we're not exactly bad people. I hesitated, I knew Daryl didn't have anything to say. I nervously looked at the lady waiting for an answer. I brilliantly thought of a plan. "Yeah well…ya owe us." I said. Daryl gave me a questioning look.

"Oh? And why is that?" The woman asked.

"We took care of a huge herd of walkers that was headed this way. If we wouldn't 'a then you people would be surrounded."

"Walkers?" She asked.

"The dead."

"How many?" One of the guys asked.

"At least a hundred." I lied.

"Really?" The other guy said. "You expect us to believe that two people took care of that many limpers?"

 _Limpers?_ "It's true." I said. "We lead them over a cliff. Ain't that right, Daryl?" Daryl just nodded. "Either way, they woulda found ya eventually. You should be thankin' us." I crossed my arms over my chest. "So ya owe us." I looked over at my brother. He was giving me an impressive look.

The woman looked up at her men. "I suppose your right." She said. "But if you try anything, if you hurt any of my people…" She trailed off.

"We understand." I said.

"Do you?" She said.

"We's been out 'ere fer a long time." I mentioned.

She hesitated. "…open the gates!" She yelled without looking away. I exhaled a held breath. Then she said, "I'm Lisa. Welcome to Clear Rivers."


	9. Deja Vu

Walking into the gates of Clear Rivers Campus had me very nervous. I know it was my idea to find this place, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to meet new people and live in a new area.

My first thought was _wow._ This place is really nice.

When I looked at Daryl, he had an expression that no one else but me would be able to understand. It was regret.

"This is actually the back where we came through." Lisa said.

"There's two entrances?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah." One of the guys said. "We didn't get to formally meet." He said. "My name's Jase." He reached out to shake Daryl's hand and I was relieved that Daryl actually shook his.

"So where you guys from anyway?" The other man asked.

"Atlanta." I said.

"Georgia?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." He said.

"Well I've got a lot of work to do." Lisa said. "Frank, Jase, why don't you two show Leann and Daryl around?" She threw a key to one of them. "They can stay in 46B. I think it will be perfect for them." She smiled and got into a car. With one last wave she was gone.

"You people are gonna like it here a lot." Frank said. He touched my arm.

"Yeah we don't know if we're stayin' yet." Daryl said and pulled me closer to him. He narrowed his eyes at Frank.

"I understand." He said. "We're strangers, I get it. But you're gonna end up staying. No one has left this place willingly."

 _Willingly?_

* * *

"So this up here is the community center. We call it the CC." Jase said. When neither of us said anything he continued. "It basically has anything you need. There's a little shop where you can get clothes and stuff. We actually have a bar and restaurant as well."

"What?" I asked.

"Yup. You heard me right." Jase said. "Well, actually…it's a cafeteria." He laughed.

"And over there is the gym, there's an indoor pool, too. Next to that is the courtyard where you can play basketball or tennis or anything your heart desires." Frank said.

Daryl and I looked at each other. This is two much to take in. Jase and Frank were saying some other stuff, but I wasn't listening. "It can be kinda overwhelming." Jase noticed my expression.

"Why don't we show you to your house so you can get situated and relax for a bit?" Frank said.

"Yeah." I nodded.

* * *

We stood outside our new house…or room I should say.

"So this is it." Jase said. "It's only got one bedroom, but there's two beds."

"It's fine." I said. "Thank you."

"Well…let's get out of your way." Frank handed Daryl the keys. "If you need anything, just give someone a buzz."

"You have phones?" I asked.

"Well…kind of." Jase said. "They only work inside the walls. They're more like walkies."

"…oh okay." I said.

"So I guess we'll see you around, pretty little lady." Frank said.

I smiled just not to be rude. I didn't miss the look Daryl gave him, though. We watched them walk away. "Oh one more thing," Jase said, "there's schooling here, you know for kids? Just thought I'd let you know."

"School?" I grimaced.

"Yeah, you should attend." Frank said. They walked out of sight.

"I ain't goin' to no school." I looked at my brother.

"You don't have to." He reassured me. "So what do ya think?"

I inhaled deeply. "I don't know. The people seem nice, but…this place is too normal. It's almost scary."

"Yeah." Daryl nodded. "That's how I feel, too." He unlocked the door and we went inside.

"Wow." I said. "This is nice." I glanced at Daryl.

I sat down on the couch. "Pretty comfy."

"Yeah." Daryl said. "Very nice." Something in his voice sounded unsure. It bothered me.

"What's wrong?"

He shrugged.

"Daryl? Don't shut me out."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are! I can tell when yer startin' to shut down. So tell me what's wrong."

He sat down on one of the chairs. I sat next him. "I don't want ya gettin' used to this place." He said. "We don't know if we're stayin'."

I smiled. "That's okay. Whatever you decide. Let's see the rest of the room." I grabbed his hand. "Come on."

I walked into the bedroom, there were two beds along the walls. The room itself was pretty small. Our dorm room also had a kitchen area.

"Wait," I said realizing something, "where's the shower?" Daryl and I shared a look.

* * *

"The bathrooms don't have their own showers." Jase said over the walkie. I called him. "Everyone has to use the locker room showers. Haven't you people ever seen a college before?"

"Obviously not." I said rolling my eyes. "Wait, so ya mean we gotta shower with other people?"

"Well…there's a curtain." Jase said. We didn't say anything to that. "Look, it's not as bad as it seems. You'll get used to it eventually."

"Yeah, I doubt that." Daryl said.

"All right. Well, thanks." I quickly ended our conversation. "Let's get the hell outta here." I laughed.

"I'm with ya on that, little sis." Daryl raised his eyebrows.

"Just kiddin'. That sucks, though." I glanced around. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Like hell ya are. I ain't gonna let some peepin' Tom look at my baby sister."

I huffed. "Well, what are ya gonna do, stand outside the door?"

"Hell yeah."

I blinked. _He couldn't be serious?_

* * *

I took my shower quickly even though I was lucky enough that no one else was in there. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself. Daryl was standing in the hallway outside the door just like he said. I guess he was guarding it or something. The thought made me laugh. I walked out there in my towel. My brother gasped when he saw me. "Leann, what are ya doin'?" He tried to stand in front of me to cover me. There wasn't even anyone around.

"I'm not gonna put dirty clothes back on."

"And what do ya think yer gonna do then?"

"I'll find somethin'."

I looked in my closet, back in the room, to see if there were any clothes I could put on for the time being. There was a pair of jean shorts and a little black tank top. It would do for now.

I quickly put them on. The shorts were shorter than I wanted them to be. I have never been one of those girls who walked around with their butt cheeks hanging out of their shorts all the time. I don't like it; I think it's uncomfortable. The tank top was also a little short exposing my stomach. I wonder briefly who owned these clothes. Then I remembered this is a college dorm.

I felt a little strange but I figured I would only have to wear them today and then never again. I mean…it didn't look that bad, although it did look a little funky with my boots. I dug around in the closet for a pair of sneakers or flip-flops or something. I found a black pair of converse. _Perfect._

I hurriedly put them on and went to find Daryl because I thought I heard him calling me.

I found him in the kitchen. "Did you call me?" I asked him.

He had his back to me and turned when he heard me. "Yeah, this…" He stopped what he was going to say and just looked at me.

"What?"

He cleared his throat. "…ya ain't wearin' that."

"Daryl—

"I can see yer stomach and—turn around." I did. "Yer shorts are too short. Yer butt's showin'."

"No it ain't." I felt Daryl pinch my bottom and I squealed.

"Put somethin' else on."

"This was the only thing in nere." I whined.

"Bullshit."

I crossed my arms and pouted. "I'll just wear it today then never again, okay?" I smiled innocently at him.

He scowled at me. "Fine." He snapped. "Anyway, some dumb broad brought this stuff over from the pantry or whatever."

"Some dumb broad?" I giggled.

"That's what she was." He said. I kept laughing. He smirked at me. "Ya think that's funny?"

I nodded. He tugged at my hair a little. "So are you gonna shower before we go?"

"Go where?"

"To the cafe to get some food."

Daryl sighed. "We gotta go there now?"

"Don't ya wanna eat?"

"Course I wanna eat, but…" He sighed again. "Whatever."

I giggled. "So you gonna shower?"

"Wasn't really in my plans."

"Well, fit it in there cuz we got plenty 'a time." I giggled.

Daryl sighed. "Damn, girl, always makin' me do stuff." He walked away.

I laughed. "Do you want me to stand outside fer you?" I teased. "Might be some women peepin' at ya. Or men."

"No. I can handle 'em."

* * *

When Daryl came back after his shower, I took his and my clothes to wash them. Man, did they reek! I threw our clothes in the washer together then I scrubbed his vest clean the best I could. It looked way better than it did. I hung it up to dry.

"Ready to go?" I turned around slowly. Daryl stood before me wearing a pair of dark colored jeans and a grey shirt.

"Yeah, let's go." I smiled. "I washed yer clothes fer ya, by the way."

"Thanks, baby." He bent down and kissed my cheek. I giggled.

* * *

The cafeteria was like a regular cafeteria. Buffet style. Everybody gets their own food. There wasn't a lot of people inside. Daryl and I grabbed some trays and piled on some food then sat down. My brother picked a seat far away from the other people. I looked over and saw a girl probably a little older than me. Her clothes were very slutty. I scrunched my nose up. "Now that's a dumb broad." I said roughly. "Skanky bitch."

"Leann?" Daryl said surprised.

"She is, though. Look what she's wearin'."

Daryl slightly turned to look at her. "If I ever caught you wearin' clothes like that...I'd skin ya."

"I wouldn't." I crossed my arms in front of me.

"Well…good then."

I briefly looked around, there was a kid that kept looking at me. I shyly looked away. "This place kinda reminds of Hampton Lake."

My brother gave me a look. "Yeah, it does."

"What if it's just a big repeat?" I said sadly.

"It won't. I won't let that happen." My brother pushed my hair back. "Yer stayin' with me all the time."

I smiled. "Are ya ever gonna stop bein' so overprotective 'a me?"

"Nope." He said with a mouthful of food. "Never."

I saw the boy looking at me again. I started to feel self conscience and made a low whimpering sound.

"What's 'a matter, Leann?"

"That kid keeps lookin' at me."

"What kid?"

I pointed without looking. "It's makin' me nervous."

"Don't worry 'bout 'im. Yer here with yer brother." I got up and sat next to Daryl so I wouldn't have to see the kid anymore.

* * *

Daryl said something that made me laugh while I was drinking, which caused my drink to come out of my nose. He laughed because he did it on purpose. He and Merle used to do that to me all the time when I was little. I got up to get some napkins.

"Hey." I heard someone say.

I looked over and one of the kids that kept looking at me was right next to me now.

"Hey?" I gave them a weird look.

"You're new here, right?" I just nodded. "Sorry, news travels fast here. And we all kinda know each other."

"Really? This place ain't small."

"Yeah, well as I said, we all know each other." He kept staring at me. He was kind of cute actually.

"So…are you gonna tell me your name?" I finally asked.

"Oh, sorry." He said. "I'm Chad."

"Hi, I'm Leann." I said. "But call me Le."

"Nice to meet you, Le." Chad said. "We should hang out sometime. There's other people here around our age."

"Ya mean like her?" I pointed to the skanky girl from earlier.

Chad looked over his shoulder. "Oh that's Summer. If you haven't met her yet, you're lucky."

"Why is she like a…bitch or somethin'?"

Chad laughed. "You could say that."

I looked over and Daryl was watching us. "Um…I should probably go."

"Oh yeah, sorry." He stepped aside. "Seriously we should hang out, though."

"Uh, sure."

"Cool." Chad said. "See you around then."

"Yeah, see ya." I waved at him then made my way back to Daryl.

"What was that all about?" He asked me immediately.

"Just some kid bein' friendly." I said nonchalantly. "He invited me to hang out sometime."

"Hmm." Daryl said. "That the kid that was starin' at ya?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "His name's Chad."

"Was he botherin' you?"

"No. He was actually pretty nice."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." I looked at him wide-eyed.

"Cuz if he weren't ya can tell me."

"Why? You gonna beat up a kid?" I smirked.

"Depends."

I sighed. _He's never gonna change._

"You about ready to go back to the room?"

"I been ready." I smiled. "I'll take our trays back."

"All right. I'll meet ya outside." Daryl said and walked out.

I walked our trays where they were collecting them. In the process, I heard girls giggling and one of them said, "she's a freak. Look at her, she's like a robot with that thing on her leg." I quickly turned my head and looked at them because I realized they were talking about me. It was the slutty girl from before and her friends. "She's gotta missing finger, too." They saw me looking at them. "What?" The girl said. I blinked a few times then put my head down and quickly walked away. I heard them laughing.

I walked right passed Daryl who was waiting for me outside the cafeteria. "Whoa, hold up, Sissy." He caught up to me and grabbed my hand. "Where ya goin'?"

"I don't know if I wanna stay here." I said quietly.

My brother was quiet for a moment. "Why? Did somethin' happen in nere? Did someone do somethin' to ya?"

"No." I put my head down and rubbed my eyes. "Let's just go back to the room."

* * *

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	10. I Never

As soon as we got back to the room, I took my brace off and threw it on the floor. "I ain't never wearin' that darn thang again!" I stomped over to the couch and sat down with my arms crossed. Daryl was watching me carefully.

"What the hell is yer problem?" He finally spoke. "Leann, talk to me. You was fine then all of a sudden ya got all upset." He sat next to me. "What happened?" My brother pushed my hair back. I wasn't sure if I should tell him about what that girl said about me, but I knew he wouldn't give it up until I did, so I told him.

"That girl called me a freak cuz 'a my brace and missin' finger." I said without looking at him.

"What girl?"

"The one I said was a skanky bitch."

"Oh." My brother switched positions. "Well, what do ya care what she thinks fer?"

"Cuz."

"Cuz why?"

I sighed then turned towards him. "Cuz I care about what everyone thanks 'a me. I always did."

"Well, ya shouldn't." He put his arm around me. "You ain't a freak."

"Yer just sayin' that cuz yer my brother, but I bet if ya didn't know me you'd thank the same thang."

"No." He cleared his throat. "But ya know what I would thank?" I looked at him waiting for his answer. "I'd say, wow look at that little girl," he pulled me closer to him almost making me laugh, "ain't she a little cutie." He squeezed me tightly and kissed my cheek. I gave in and giggled. "Now, no more 'a this freak talk." He stood up. "And by the way, ya have to wear yer brace. Ya ain't ready to have it off yet."

I thought for a minute. "Okay. But when we're here not doin' nothin' I'm keepin' it off."

"Deal." Daryl smirked at me. "Now, if ya shut up…I got a surprise fer ya." He went over to a cabinet and got something out. I perked up a little and waited to see what it was. He pulled out two bottles of wine. I gasped.

"Where'd ya get 'em?" I said excitedly.

"That dumb broad brought it with our supplies. I didn't say nothin' to ya cuz I wanted it to be a surprise. Figured we'd save 'em fer later." He got out two glasses. "Ya want some?"

"Yeah!" I jumped up happily. He grabbed me one and we clinked glasses.

"This is to you, little one." Daryl said. "You convinced them people to let us in. That was real smart 'a ya. Good thankin'."

I grinned widely. "Well, also to you cuz we wouldn't 'a made it as far without ya."

"All right. To us then."

I smiled and took the first sip of my wine. I grimaced, it was dry. I don't like dry wine. I'll just drink it real slow, I guess. I sat the glass down on the table and suddenly thought of an idea. "Can we play a game?" I said with such enthusiasm.

"What kinda game?" My brother gave me an amused look.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "A drinkin' game maybe. Do ya know any?"

"Baby, ya know me. I ain't never needed a game to get lit before."

"So, ya never played a drinkin' game before? Not even beer pong?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Who'd you play beer pong with?"

"Ma friends back at Hampton Lake." I answered nonchalantly.

"Oh, right." He raised his eyebrows. "Yer "friends"."

I blinked a few times at him. "Why'd ya say it like that?"

He took a big gulp of his wine then said, "cuz they let ya do meth. They weren't real friends."

"Well, actually, that was Jay that gave me the stuff. What's her name didn't want me to." I heard my brother laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You are." He answered. "Cuz yer sayin' they're yer friends then ya called one of 'em 'what's her name'."

"Oh." I smirked. "I didn't feel like thankin'."

"All right." He raised his eyebrows. "Ya like yer wine?"

I stared at the glass. "…not really. It's dry."

"It ain't good, is it?"

"Mm mmm." I scrunched my nose up. "That's why I wanted to play a drinkin' game so it'd be easier to drank."

My brother sighed. "All right. Let's play somethin'."

"Yeah, but what?"

"Well, there is one I know. Beth taught me." My brother sounded a little nervous. I was definitely curious now. "We played after the prison attack, ya know? We got out together." He cleared his throat. "It's called Never Have I Ever."

"Oh! I know that game! I only played a couple times, though." I switched my position on the couch. "You played with Beth?" He nodded. Now I was jealous. Just like he was when I told him Merle and I drank together. "Okay, let's play."

"One quick game." My brother said. "You wanna start?"

"Sure. Lemme thank 'a somethin' real quick." I thought for a moment. "I never…been drunk with you." I grinned widely.

"…really? That's what ya came up with?" He raised his eyes at me. I nodded. "Well, now I guess ya gotta take a drink cuz I never got drunk with ya either."

"Aw man!" I said and took a small sip. "I suck at this game already."

Daryl chuckled. "All right. It's my turn." He looked like he was thinking then stopped and smirked at me. "I never got bit by a raccoon."

I scowled at him then picked up my glass to take a drink. He laughed at me. "I never got shot!" I mocked him.

"Oh, so that's how we're playin', huh? Okay, okay." He took a sip of his wine, I smirked. "All right. I never got bit by a walker neither."

My mouth gaped open. "Hey, yer the one that wanted to play dirty." My brother said. I huffed and took a sip.

"I never spanked anyone." I said angrily.

My brother laughed out loud. "Oh man, kid. Ya crack me up. Really." He took a sip. "I never got spanked by my brother." He smirked.

"Hey, no fair! That's a repeat!"

"No, it ain't. Two completely different sentences." He laughed.

"Fine!" I angrily took a sip while Daryl laughed at me. "I never…" I trailed off because when I looked up at Daryl, there were two of him for a brief second. I must be getting tipsy. I started laughing pretty hard.

"What? You ain't drunk already, are ya?" My brother let out a small laugh.

"No, but I'm tipsy." I laughed.

He snorted. "Light weight."

"Okay, okay." I tried to stop laughing. "I never…had a job."

"That's a different one." Daryl said and tapped my nose. He gulped the rest of his wine down. "I never sang in front of a crowd of people."

I grinned widely even though I had to take a drink. I remembered the first time I did that, it was fun. I finished my wine. Daryl poured both of us a refill. "I never went on a date."

My brother thought for a minute. "Mmm…yeah, I guess." He took a sip. "I never…got nothin' fer Christmas."

I stared at him for a minute. "Neither did I."

"Yes, ya did. I got ya that paint set, 'member?"

"Nah uh." I shook my head. "That was a birthday present!"

Daryl looked like he was thinking. "Shit. Yer right."

"Ha! Drink up!" I laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." He took a big gulp. "How's this game supposed to end?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Yer the one that suggested it.

"Yeah, but…we never finished the game." My brother had a strange look on his face. It almost looked like guilt. I was confused and a little curious.

"Why didn't ya finish it?"

He was chewing on his thumb nail. "We got in a argument."

"Oh." I blinked. "Why?"

"We playin' Twenty Questions or Never Have I Ever?"

I giggled. "Okay, well…let's just say whoever finishes their glass first is the loser."

"All right. Who's turn is it? Mine?"

"No, it's my turn. The last one said was the Christmas present one."

"Oh yeah. All right, go on."

I thought long and hard for my next answer. I was trying to dig deeper and find out more things about my brother that I never knew before. I thought about things I did at those parties back at Hampton Lake. For some reason, Jay came up. Then I had another thought. "I never…had sex." I blurted it out. "Well…willingly, I mean." I laughed nervously. My brother just stared at me. I blinked. "Ain't ya gonna take a drink?" He didn't say anything, just cleared his throat. He looked kind of nervous. I gasped. "Wait, yer a virgin?"

He hesitated. "…no, I ain't a virgin."

I blinked. "Then why ain't ya drinkin'?"

"…just didn't expect ya to say that." He grabbed his glass and drank it down. "All right. I lose. Let's do somethin' else."

* * *

Daryl and I played cards for a long time. I lost track after a while of who won the most games. It's okay, though. We can say we just played for fun. We also finished both bottles of wine. I was definitely drunk even though Daryl drank way more than me. I laid on the couch practically asleep.

"Don't tell me yer goin' to sleep already?" Daryl said.

"No. I'm just layin' here." I laughed.

"You drunk?"

"Yeah." I giggled.

"Good. Ya got drunk with Merle, now ya got drunk with me."

"Yeah, but I also smoked weed with Merle. Are we gonna smoke, too?"

"No, ma'am." My brother said roughly. "Yer never doin' any drug again so don't even thank of it. Ya hear me?"

"Mhmm." I nodded with my face in the pillow.

I heard my brother chuckle. "All right. I gotta take a piss."

"Me too." I slowly got up. I stumbled a little but Daryl caught me.

Daryl helped me get to the bathroom. He made sure I was okay before closing the door. I did my business then all of a sudden, my stomach felt sick. I hurriedly switched positions and puked into the toilet. I felt better.

I walked outside, Daryl was waiting for me in the hallway. "Ya okay?" He asked me. "Did ya throw up?"

"Only once." I said.

"Great. I didn't want ya to get sick."

I ain't. I feel better." I giggled.

He sighed. "I'm a horrible big brother right now."

"Don't say that. Yer the best." I laughed then stumbled a little. "Whoa." Daryl caught me and threw me over his shoulder. "I'm bein' carried." I laughed.

"Yeah, ya are." My brother patted my back. He carried me back to the main room like that then laid me on the couch. "I want ya to drink some water, baby."

"I told ya, I ain't sick." I laid on the couch.

"I don't care. Drank." He handed me a glass of water. I took a sip, it was nice and cold. I drank it down. "Good girl." My brother said. I laid back down and almost dozed off. "I didn't go to the bathroom yet. I'll be right back."

I nodded.

"Okay. Don't go nowhere. I'll be right back." I heard my brother leave and close the door. It was real quiet. I slowly got up and made my way into our bedroom. I kicked my shoes and shorts off then got into to bed snuggling under the covers. I picked the bed on the right side. It was actually pretty comfy. I heard the bathroom door open then footsteps and knew Daryl was there. I listened to his footsteps enter the room. "Hey? You goin' to sleep?"

I looked at him sleepily and nodded. "Are you?"

"Yeah, in a minute." He said walking over to me. "Ya feel sick?" He pushed my hair back.

"No. Just tired."

"Okay. Come'er." He leaned closer and hugged me, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Yer cute when yer sleepy." His kissed the corner of my mouth a few times making me giggle. "All right, sleepyhead. Get to sleep." I snuggled under the covers and got comfortable.

"Goodnight." I said to my brother.

"Night, sweetheart."

* * *

I awoke the next day with a pretty bad headache. Daryl wasn't in his bed so I figured he got up already. I slowly got out of bed and made my way into the other room. My brother was sitting at the table in the kitchen. I walked over to him but didn't say anything. He finally noticed me. "Hey, sleepyhead. Ya feelin' okay?"

"Yeah, but my head kinda hurts." I stated. "Do we have any Aleve or anythang?"

"I think there's some in that crate that woman brought over, but you ain't takin' nothin' until ya eat somethin'."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll go down to the cafe and get somethin' there." I turned away. "Ya comin'?"

"Nah, I ate already. You can go."

I blinked at him in disbelief. "Ya mean, yer really lettin' me go somewhere by myself?"

"Yeah, just don't be too long."

"Okay. I won't."

"But, uh…ya might wanna put some pants on first."

I looked down and gasped. "Oh my God!" I ran into the bedroom as quickly as possible. I could hear my brother laughing at me. _Not a good start to the morning._

* * *

I sat at a table by myself eating pancakes and orange juice. It was the artificially made crap, but it wasn't that bad. While glancing around, I saw Chad looking at me. I hurriedly looked away hoping he didn't see me notice him, but he must have because he started walking over to me. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." I answered without looking at him.

"You here alone today?"

"…yup. Just me." I still hadn't looked at him.

He seemed hesitant. "…so, I was thinking…ya wanna do something later? I could introduce you to some people and we could just…hang." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't thank so." I finally looked at him. He looked confused by my answer. I ignored it and got up to empty my tray. I didn't notice that he followed me.

"What's wrong? Ya seem mad at me? Was it something I said?"

"…not what you said." I answered roughly.

"W-what do you mean?"

I spun around and looked at him. "That girl, Summer or whoever, called me a freak yesterday."

Chad blinked. "Okay, I'm sorry but what does that have to do with me?"

"Cuz if she's like that then there's probably others, too. And I don't wanna be around it."

"No. We're not like that. That's just Summer…and her two followers. Trust me. There's some really good people here. You just gotta give them a chance."

I sighed. "I don't know."

"You should come with me tonight."

"Why?"

"Because I think you'll have fun. And because I think you're really cute."

My face flushed immediately, I tried to hide it by turning away from him. "I'll think about it, okay?"

He smiled then nodded. "All right. If you decide to come, meet me by the gym."

"Whatever." I said and walked away.

* * *

"That was fast." My brother said when I walked in the door.

"Really? I thought I was down there for a while."

"Fifteen minutes."

I smirked. "You would know. What'd you time me?"

"Yeah, cuz if ya weren't back in an hour, I'd come lookin' fer ya." I let out a small laugh then sat next to him on the couch. "I got ya some Advil fer yer head." Daryl said. I held out my hand. "Open." He said. I rolled my eyes then opened my mouth, he put them in and I swallowed them with the glass of water on the coffee table.

"So, that kid I met yesterday, he was there again and he asked me to hangout with him tonight." I said after some time.

"Really?" My brother had a strange look on his face. "You goin'?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. I guess I could. I mean…what else I gotta do?"

"You could stay 'ere with me."

I let out a small laugh. "Yeah, but…we got the rest of our lives to spend with each other."

"No, we don't." He looked at me. "One day, yer gonna meet some bastard and run off with 'im."

"Daryl…I wouldn't leave ya fer anyone."

"Ya say that now, sure, but I can see it. And since ya don't need me no more."

"Why would ya say that?"

"You say it all the time. Askin' me when I'm gonna stop bein' so overprotective."

"Geez, yer grumpy today." I giggled.

"Ain't I always?"

I just gave him a sideways smile. "Sorry." He finally said. "I just…yer my baby sister and I ain't ever gonna stop worryin' about ya."

"I know." I hugged him. "And that's okay."

"It's like ya grew up overnight. Stop it." He hugged me tightly back.

I giggled. "I'm gonna go take a shower." I said and got up. "Feel free to guard the door from perverted men." I laughed.

He gave me a small smile. "Nah, I thank ya can handle it."

I left the room and gathered up the supplies I needed then went back out. I was about to walk out the door but stopped and turn back around. "And fer the record, I'll always need ya." I smiled. He gave me a small smile back.


	11. New Friends

"All right. I'm headin' out now." I said to Daryl.

"Be careful."

I nodded and reached for the doorknob. "Whoa, wait a minute." My brother stopped me. "Where exactly are ya goin'?"

"Chad told me to meet him by the gym." I stated. "Why?" My eyes grew wide. "You ain't gonna follow me are ya?"

He sighed. "No. Don't stay out late…and don't let 'im do nothin'." I nodded and turned away again. "And don't go outside these walls."

I nodded again. "Okay, Daryl got it. Can I go?"

His lips set into a thin line and after a moment's hesitation he nodded. "Still wish ya would stay 'ere with me, though."

"Don't make me feel bad, please. I just wanna meet some new people, okay? I—

"I know. I'm sorry." He gave me an apologetic smile. "Have fun."

I smiled back. "Bye, Daryl." I quickly left before he could say anything else. I stood outside the door for a minute and exhaled. _That wasn't as bad as I thought._

* * *

I took my time getting to the gym, I wanted to show up late so Chad would still think I'm not interested. Playing hard to get was the best technique for me right now. I smiled to myself. However, that smile faded when I saw Chad. He was standing around talking with three other guys around his age. I contemplated just going home, I wanted to meet new people, yeah, but not a bunch of guys at one time. I turned on my heel and was about to leave but didn't. _Don't be a pussy._ I told myself. I turned back in their direction and nervously walked over.

"Hey, Le." Chad greeted me. "Ya made it."

"Hey." I said. I looked to the other boys, they were just staring me.

"You look nice."

I looked down at myself. I had on jeans with a thin, black zip up hoodie. I had cut holes in the sleeves for my thumbs. "Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, I guess. I just kinda threw this on."

Chad chuckled. We all kind of just stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Oh my bad." Chad said. "This is Tyler, Patrick and Nick. Guys, this is Leann, but she likes to be called Le."

"Hey." I said to them. They all gave an apathetic wave.

"So, we were gonna swim, you down?" Chad asked me.

I hesitated. "I didn't bring a swim suit. And don't ya guys thank it's a little chilly tonight to go swimmin'?"

"It's an indoor pool." Patrick said.

"Oh." I said. _That's right. I'm an idiot._

"So, do you want to?" Chad asked me. "And don't worry about not having a swim suit. We don't have swim suits either." I raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "It's okay, we do it all the time." He seemed to get nervous.

I hesitated. "Okay. Sure, I guess." I was still giving him a confused look.

"Come on, it's gonna be fun." Chad said and began walking into the gym. His friends glanced at me then followed Chad. I eventually followed as well.

* * *

I sat on the edge of the pool with my feet in the water. Chad and the guys were playing water basketball. It looked fun, but I couldn't get in the water. They were in their underwear, which was fine for them but there's no way in hell I'm getting in there with them in my underwear. Maybe if there was another girl here.

"Ya sure ya don't wanna come in, Le?" Chad asked me. "The water's great."

"Yeah, I'm sure." I waved him off.

"That's too bad." Patrick said from behind me. He jumped in right next to me causing me to get splashed all over. I cringed and looked at myself, I was soaked.

"Ohh. Sorry 'bout that." Patrick said. The other guys laughed.

"It's okay." I said through gritted teeth. I stood up.

"You okay?" Chad asked me.

"Yeah, I'm great." I rolled my eyes. "I'm just gonna go in the bathroom and ya know? Dry off." I began walking away. I heard the guys laughing at me again.

"Cut it out, guys." I heard Chad say. I smiled to myself a little, at least Chad isn't a jerk.

I walked into the locker room with my head down trying to squeeze out what I could of my hoodie. I looked up and saw a urnal. That's when I realized I must have absentmindedly walked into the wrong room. I hurriedly turned to leave but heard someone coming. "Oh man!" I said nervously. I briefly looked around then ran into one of the stalls. I sat on the toilet and pulled my feet up.

"That was a good game." I heard a familiar voice say. _Oh God! It's Chad and his friends!_

"Yeah, we fuckin' crushed you guys."

"Well, it wasn't fair. You guys used to play basketball."

"Who cares. It's just for fun."

"Shut the fuck up, Nick." Patrick, I think, said.

"Yeah, Nick."

"Guys, chill out." That one was definitely Chad. There was a brief pause. "So, what do you guys think of Le?" My eyes widened a bit and I leaned forward.

"She's all right." Nick said.

"She's kinda cute but I don't know, she just seems kinda bitchy." That must have been Tyler. I wanted to laugh at that one.

"She's got tits like a frog." Patrick said. My mouth gaped open. I looked down at my chest and crossed my arms over it.

"What the hell, Patrick?" Chad said. "Is that all you care about?"

"Hell no. It's all about the ass." He replied. They all laughed. My face flushed. I just wanted to get out of there.

Eventually, I heard them leave and everything got quiet. I took my chances and made my escape. Luckily, no one saw me come out. I went outside and sat on the steps. I was only out there for a short time before Chad and his friends came out. "There you are." Chad said. "I was looking for you."

"Here I am." I smiled sarcastically.

"Hey, guys, let's go play some real b-ball. On the court." Patrick said.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Tyler yelled.

They turned away. "Chad, you coming?" Patrick asked him.

"No, I'm good." Chad said making me look at him. "Le, you wanna go for a walk?"

"Seriously?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah, dude. Get outta here."

Patrick gave me a dirty look. "Whatever." He finally said. "Let's go, guys." The rest of them walked away. I have to say, I was a little relieved.

"Sorry, about that." Chad said. "He can be…

"An asshole?" I finished his sentence.

"Yeah." Chad chuckled. "So, how 'bout that walk?" He smiled down at me, it was one of the nicest smiles I ever saw. It made me blush.

I smiled back. "Sure." He held his hand out to me and I took it.

* * *

Chad and I walked around for a long time. He did most of the talking. He told me that he lives with his mom and younger brother. And that he and Patrick knew each other for a long time and are super close.

"He doesn't like me much." I said.

"That's not true. He just doesn't know you. He's like that with everyone new."

"Really? With other girls?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well…no. Not girls." He said. I snorted. "It's not like that, though, trust me. He's a good guy. You'll see."

"Sure." I said. I paused trying to think of something to say. "So…do you guys go to school here?"

"Yeah, we all do. Don't you?"

"No." I shook my head. "I hate school. My brother says I don't have to go unless I want to."

"I wish my mom was like that." Chad said. "So, you live with your…older brother?" I just nodded. "That's pretty cool. I bet he let's you get away with murder."

I almost laughed out loud. "Not really. Not at all actually. My brother is more strict with me than my parents ever were. Plus, he's super overprotective."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. I'm pretty protective with my little brother."

"That's sweet." I smiled. "How old are ya again?"

"Eighteen. Just turned it."

"Oh. I'm fifteen. I won't be sixteen fer a few months yet."

"That's cool." He smiled. I gave him a look and we laughed.

There was a brief pause.

"So…there's a guy that's been following us this whole time." Chad said out of nowhere.

My face paled. _Please don't tell me…_ I turned around and looked. It was. I sighed and turned back to Chad. "It's okay. It's just my overprotective brother I was tellin' ya about."

"Seriously?" He looked back again.

"Yeah." I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, I thought of a plan. "Hey, let's lose 'im."

Chad blinked at me. "You sure? Won't he get mad?"

"Who cares? It'll be fun." I said. "Come on. See that crowd of people over there?" I pointed.

"Yeah?"

"Once we reach 'em, we run. He'll lose us in them." I grinned evilly.

Chad smirked. "Whatever you say."

We approached the crowd. "Ready?" I asked. He nodded. "Go." We ran through the people and down the street laughing the whole way. We turned down a corner and ended up by the gate's back entrance. We stopped to catch our breath. I happened to look back and Daryl was no where in sight.

"That was pretty fun." Chad said. "Did we lose him?"

"Yeah, he's gone." We both laughed. I glanced at the gate. "Do you ever go out on runs or anythang?" I asked him.

"Uh, not really. I haven't had much experience, you know? Out there."

"Really?" I blinked. "Let's go out."

"Huh?"

"Outside the walls." I stated. Chad laughed like I just made a joke. He stopped then and gave me a serious look.

"Wait…you mean, for real?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Why not?"

"Well…they kinda keep the gates closed. There's a curfew. They won't open them for us."

"We don't need 'em open." I began climbing over the gate.

"What the hell are doing?"

"Come on, it'll be fun." I smiled down at him then resumed my climbing.

"O-okay." Chad followed me. I finally hopped down once I was low enough on the other side. "What exactly are we doing out here?" Chad asked. I ignored his question and looked around for walkers. I wanted to impress him, I'll show him how it's done. I walked off into the woods. "Le? Le?" We walked for a while and were pretty far from home. I finally spotted some walkers. There were three of them.

"There." I pointed. "Ya ever kill one before?"

"…once."

"Only once?"

"I told you, I don't have much experience on the outside."

"Check this out." I smirked then whistled drawing the walkers attention.

"Whoa, whoa." Chad grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?"

"It's fine. Watch." I walked to the closest walker and stabbed it in the head. Then I kicked the next one in it's knee and it went down, I stabbed it in the top of the head. Then did the same to the last one. I turned around and smiled at Chad.

"Whoa, okay. That was pretty badass." He said.

I smirked at him. Suddenly, we could hear another walker coming. "Now, you try."

"W-what?" He looked at me wide-eyed. "No, I—

"No, it's okay. You'll be fine, I promise. Just do exactly what I just did."

"I don't—

"Chad, it's comin'." I handed him my knife. He looked at me nervously then at the walker that was headed right towards him. He held the knife out but hesitated too long. The walker grabbed him and they fell to the ground. My eyes grew wide. "Chad! Stab it in the head!" He was really struggling to hold it back. I was about to step in, but he finally just stabbed it as hard as he could. The walker went limp and he immediately pushed it off him and got up. "I'm sorry!" I said. "I didn't thank—

"It's okay." Chad said panting. "That was my first walker."

My shoulders slumped a little. "I thought ya said ya killed one before?" I smirked.

"I lied." He laughed still panting. I laughed, too.

"Ya okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He smiled at me, I smiled back. Suddenly, we heard more walkers coming. I spun quickly.

"Get ready." I said.

"What? No, let's just go."

I ignored him. I counted the walkers that are coming. I gasped. There was more than I thought. "Yeah, that actually might be a good idea." I said. But it was too late, one of them grabbed me from another direction. How didn't I see it?

"Le!" Chad yelled. I reached for my gun, to my horror, it wasn't there. I must have left it at home.

"Chad! My knife!" He quickly ran to me and killed the walker instead of handing me the knife. I grabbed it from him then. "Stay behind me!" I started killing the walkers that were close. A big one grabbed me and I struggled.

"Ah!" Chad yelled. I looked over and he was on the ground again struggling to hold one back.

"Shit!" I said struggling with my own walker. I couldn't help him. Suddenly, the walker I was fighting went limp. I saw an arrow go through it's head. _Oh man! He's gonna kill me for sure!_ I turned and looked at my brother for a split second before helping Chad. Daryl finished off the rest of the walkers. I made sure Chad was okay and that he wasn't mad at me.

"You guys okay?" Daryl asked us.

I just nodded. "Yeah." Chad said.

I nervously walked over to my brother; I held my arm with my other hand. "Daryl, what are ya doin' here? Ya said ya wouldn't follow me." I said sadly.

"Well, it's a good thang I did. You and yer friend here could be dead right now if I wouldn't 'a." I looked down guiltily. Daryl bent down to my level and grabbed my face with one hand. "You told me ya wouldn't go outside the walls. And why didn't ya at least bring yer gun? What were ya thinkin', little lady? Yer in big trouble, ya know that?" My face flushed. Chad was still there watching me get scolded by my big brother. "You won't be goin' out fer a while."

"Uh…I think I'm just gonna go home." Chad said awkwardly. "I'll see you later, Le." He started walking away but turned back around. "And by the way, I had a pretty good time." He smiled. I smiled back, well at least tried to. Daryl still had my face.

"Let's go, runt." My brother said. He grabbed my hand, I decided not to pull it away. I figured I was in enough trouble as it is. We walked back to the room together.

* * *

"I swear yer testin' me, little one." Daryl said once we were standing outside the room. He dug the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. "Inside." He gently pushed me inside then closed the door. I tried walking away, but he grabbed my arm. "What the hell, Leann? What was ya thinkin'? Ya coulda been killed."

I huffed. "Daryl…it was fine. I had it under control."

"Sure didn't look like it."

"I woulda got it 'ventually." I looked right at him. He sent me a scary glare. I swallowed hard. "I know…I shouldn't 'a went over the wall, 'specially without my gun and—

"No, 'specially after ya told me ya wouldn't."

"…yeah, 'specially after I told ya I wouldn't." I looked down. "I'm sorry. I'm glad ya showed up."

"Course. Ya thank I'd just let my baby sister in danger?"

I thought for a minute. "You followed me." I crossed my arms and pouted.

"Yeah and you ran from me." He said.

"Oh yeah." I laughed.

He scowled at me. "Ya thank that's funny, huh?"

"Kinda." I nodded still giggling.

He let out a small laugh then shook his head at me. "Ya hungry? Maybe the cafe's still open."

"Not really." I gave him a weird look. "Ain't I in trouble?"

He thought for a minute. "No." He hit my shoulder with his jacket sleeve. "Just don't do that again, okay?" He kissed the top of my head and sat down on the couch. "Now, come sit with me." I walked over to where he was sitting, he held his arms out to me and pulled me down onto his lap. I giggled. I leaned into him and relaxed, he rested his head on top of mine. "Stop tryin' to get yerself killed, ya hear me?" He said roughly. I finally just nodded.


	12. Not Together Yet

The next morning, my brother sent me down to the cafe to get us some breakfast to bring back to the room. Daryl's being more and more lenient with me, it's kind of confusing me to be honest. I mean…he'll never get over his protective ways, but so far he's let me go out alone. And we don't even really know these people yet. But he did tell me to come straight home and not talk to anyone.

I got each of us some eggs and bacon and threw in a small plate of pancakes. That should be good. Daryl always makes me eat breakfast, he says I'll get sick if I don't. He should be satisfied with all of this.

As I was grabbing some napkins, I happened to notice three girls across the way sitting at a table looking at me. I looked away ignoring them. So far, the only person I like here is Chad. Once I got what I needed, I began heading out of the cafe. I had to pass those girls on my way out. They kept looking at me, I did my best to ignore them.

"Hey." One of them said. She had short brown hair. I stopped and looked at them. "No, sit." She said.

I looked down at my food then back up at her. "Uh…I kinda have to get back to my room."

"Are you Le?" She said ignoring my response.

"Yeah?" I gave her an odd look.

"Please sit down." She smiled. I just gave her another look. "I just wanna talk. Just for a minute."

I hesitated. "…okay." I finally sat down. I put the tray next to me.

"Hi, I'm Leila." The first girl said. "This is Amber and Sam." They each said hi.

"I'm Leann." I said.

"Oh, we know who you are." Leila said earning another look from me. "Chad told us all about how you ditched your brother and then killed all those walkers."

"He did, huh?"

"Yeah, you're seriously badass."

"Yeah." Sam said.

"Well…ya know? I just been out there a long time."

"Oh, you have an accent? Leila said. "Are you from the south?"

I nodded. "Georgia."

"Oh you lucky—that's probably why you're so naturally tan."

I let out a small laugh. "Well, I should probably get back to my my room—

"That's a lot of food." Amber spoke for the first time.

"Oh my God, Amber." Sam said.

"Well, it is."

"It's not all fer me." I stated. "My brother's waitin' fer me back at our room."

"Oh, sorry. We shouldn't keep you anymore." Leila said. "But we should definitely hangout sometime. This might sound weird, but I really wanna straighten your hair."

"Uh, sure." I smiled. I ran a hand through my hair. It was longer now, but I kind of liked it. I wasn't used to it, I always had it shoulder length or shorter. My hair wasn't completely straight. It was a little wavy and kind of curled at the ends just like Daryl's.

"So, I guess we'll see you then?" Sam said.

"Yeah." I smiled. "It was nice meetin' ya." I picked the tray up and made my way back to the room.

* * *

"It's about time." Daryl said when I walked in.

"I know, sorry." I sat the tray on the table and sat down. My brother joined me.

"What took ya so long?" He asked without looking up, he was getting his food.

"It's probably cold. We'll have to reheat it." I stated. "Some girls stopped me and was talkin' to me."

He looked up at me then. "I told ya to come straight back and not talk to anyone."

"I know, but what was I 'sposed to do?"

"Tell 'em to go to hell."

I giggled. "Yeah, right." We took turns reheating our food then ate pretty fast, neither of us were really saying anything.

"I'll take the tray back down with our plates." I said.

"Nah, leave it. We can take it back when we go get dinner."

"Oh, right." I shook my head.

"Ya got any plans fer the day?" My brother asked me.

"So far no."

"Well, maybe we could— My brother was cut off by a knock at the door. "You expectin' someone?"

"No." I shook my head and looked at him wide-eyed. Daryl went to open the door.

"Hey, is Le home?" I heard a voice. It sounded like the girls from earlier. My brother didn't say anything just looked at me. I gave him a quick glance then came to the door. "Hey, what's up, girl?" Leila said and walked in without me inviting her. She was holding a big bag. Amber and Sam followed her in.

"Hey." I said nervously and closed the door. "What's, uh, all that?" I pointed to the bag.

"Just some stuff." Leila replied. "I thought I could do your hair."

"Why exactly?" I let out a small laugh.

"Just to see how you like it. And don't you want to look pretty for Chad? I hear he really likes you." She winked at me. My face flushed and I glanced at my brother. He was watching me carefully with a scowl on his face. I looked back at Leila.

"Gimme a minute." I walked over to Daryl in the other room.

"What the hell's this?" He glared.

"I didn't know they were comin', I swear." I looked over at the girls, they made themselves comfortable on the couch and weren't paying any attention to us. "Just…I'll take them in my room."

"No." Daryl said.

I gave him a weird look. "What? Why?"

"Cuz it's my room, too and I don't want all their girly shit all over my shit."

I sighed. "Daryl…it'll be fine, okay. I won't have them stay long." I walked back over to them. "Okay, let's go in my room." They followed me in.

"Let's start with your hair." Leila said. She pulled out a hairbrush and started brushing it even before I said anything.

"Ow." I said.

"Sorry." She apologized. "Your hair is already pretty nice, but I think it will look prettier straight." I just nodded. She finished brushing and got to straightening. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. "All done." Leila said and handed me a mirror. "Take a look."

I actually really liked it. I smiled. "Wow, thanks, Leila."

"It looks really good." Sam said. "Doesn't it, Amber?"

Amber looked up from her book. "Yeah." Then continued reading again. I smirked. She's not much of a talker.

"Let's do your makeup now." Leila said excitedly.

I froze. "Oh, no. That's okay." I said.

"Oh, come on. You're gonna love it."

"You don't have to, though." I laughed nervously.

"I want to." She smiled. "Just let me. You'll love it, trust me."

I hesitated. Daryl isn't going to like this. "Okay." I sighed.

"Yay!" Leila squealed.

"So, how come we haven't seen you in school?" Sam asked me.

"I ain't in school." I stated.

"Why not?" Leila asked while doing my makeup.

"I don't like school."

They laughed. "Well, who does?" Sam said.

"Yeah, we just go because it's something to do, you know? Plus, it gives us something of life before all this." Leila became a little saddened.

"You should go." Sam said.

"Yeah, you really should. It's actually kind of fun."

"I'll have to thank about it." I bit my lip. They have a point in a way. This could be my only chance at having a normal life. But…I hated school. Do I really want to do that to myself again?

"Done." Leila smiled.

"Oh my God, Leila!" Sam said. "It looks really good."

"It does, doesn't it?" Leila said proud of her work. Even Amber looked up from her book to see.

"Are ya sure about this?" I asked nervously.

"See for yourself." Sam handed me the mirror. I almost gasped when I saw myself. It didn't look like me at all. I mean…it did but better. I've never wore makeup before. I wasn't allowed. Everybody in my house would have killed me. It does look really good, though.

"So, you like it?" Leila said.

"Yes." I smiled. "A lot."

"Well, you're welcome." She said putting her stuff away. "By the way, I have another hair straightener at home. You can have this one if you want?"

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

"Sure. Here." She handed it to me.

"Thanks."

"Of course." Leila smiled then cleared her throat. "We better get going. But you should definitely think about coming to school. Class starts tomorrow at eight."

"Okay." I smiled. "I might do it."

"Great." Leila said. "Well, we gotta go now."

"I'll walk ya out." I said. We walked to the door.

"Oh, I'm having a little thing at my house tonight. You should come. Chad will be there." She smiled.

I blushed. "Sure."

"It's room 21A."

"Okay, thanks." I smiled.

"See you, then." She waved.

"Bye." Sam said.

"See ya, thanks again." I closed the door once they were down the hall. I turned and saw Daryl sitting at the table cleaning his crossbow. I walked in there.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked without looking at me.

"Oh, I don't know." I leaned against the table. "They just showed up."

"Yeah, I saw."

"They invited me to a thang tonight. Can I go?"

"No. Yer grounded." Daryl answered immediately.

I blinked at him. "Ya said I wasn't."

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind." He finally looked up at me. I sighed and looked away. Daryl grabbed my face with one hand like he does and looked at me. "Are you wearin' makeup?"

"Oh yeah." I smiled. "Leila did it. Do ya like it?"

"No, I don't." He said roughly. I gave him a sad look. "I-it looks…nice, but ya look better without it." He grabbed a napkin. "Come'er." He wiped the lipstick off my mouth.

"Daryl." I whined.

"I don't want ya wearin' that shit to yer friend's house."

I perked up. "Ya mean yer lettin' me go?"

"Yeah, only if ya promise to be home by midnight."

"…cain't I sleep over?"

"Only if there ain't any guys there."

"Okay." I nodded.

"And none of that." He pointed to my face. I smiled.

I went into my room and just kept looking at myself in the mirror before I washed the makeup off. It did look really nice. However, the longer I stared at it, the more uncomfortable I became. I don't know what happened. I just got so…turned off from it. It's like when you bite into a rotten apple.

I took the sides of my hair and pulled it back in the middle leaving the rest of it long then I hurriedly made my way to the bathroom and washed my face. I dried it with a towel.

"Ya okay?" My brother asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I just had to get that off."

"Yeah, you— Daryl was just looking at me.

"What?" I said.

"I, uh…never saw yer hair like that before. Ya look…cute."

"Ya thank?" I smiled.

"Yeah, it's always coverin' yer face." He tapped my nose.

"So's yers." I giggled.

"Well, you ain't me."

* * *

Later in the evening, Daryl and I went down to the cafe to get some dinner. I told him I wasn't hungry but he made me eat. He said if I didn't then I wasn't allowed to go to Leila's tonight.

"So, I was thankin'…"

"Yeah, what was ya thankin'?"

"I might go to school."

Daryl stopped eating and looked at me. "What?"

"Leila and Chad and everyone else goes."

"So?"

"So, I thought maybe I would, too. Ya know? Just to be normal." I shrugged.

He sighed. "We ain't normal. We never been normal."

I blinked. "Daryl…I thought ya would be happy."

"I don't care if ya go or not. I'm just surprised, is all. Ya always hated school."

"I know, but maybe I can give it another try. Maybe thangs won't be so bad this time."

"Well…that's fine. But I'm gonna miss ya durin' the day."

"It's only fer a few hours, Daryl." I giggled.

"Yeah, a few hours that I won't see ya."

I smiled at him. "Are ya done? I'll take yer plate up."

"Yeah." He handed it to me. I stacked them on top of another and took them to the counter. Suddenly, someone put their hands over my eyes.

"Guess who?" They said.

"Chad." I laughed.

"What's up?" He took his hands away and I turned to face him.

"Nothin'. Just got done eatin' dinner with Daryl."

"Daryl?"

"My overprotective brother."

"Oh right." He laughed. "Did you hear about Leila's party tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll be there." I said.

"Cool. I look forward to seeing you."

I blushed. "Me, too." I smiled.

Chad let out a small laugh then nervously rubbed the back of his head. "So, can I, uh…meet your brother?"

I gave him a weird look. "Ya wanna meet my brother?"

"Well, yeah. Isn't that what you're supposed to do when…"

"When what?" My eyes widened.

"When you're dating."

I almost laughed. "But we ain't datin', though."

"Well, no, but…we kinda are."

This time I did laugh. "No, we ain't."

"Yeah, but maybe someday. I like you."

I blushed and looked away clearing my throat. "Okay, you can, uh…ya can meet my brother."

"Cool."

I put my hands up. "I'm just warnin' ya, he's a hardass." I smirked.

"That's okay."

"Gimme a minute." I walked over to Daryl. He was already looking at me. "Hey. Remember Chad?"

He scowled. "Yeah, I remember 'im."

"Well, he wants to meet ya."

"He already met me."

"Not really." I tilted my head to one side. "Come on, Daryl. He's nice."

He sighed. "All right." He lifted his crossbow. I can't believe he brought it. "Bring 'im over." I gestured for Chad to come over.

"Daryl this is Chad. Chad this is my very overprotective brother, Daryl." I smirked.

"Nice to meet you, uh, sir." Chad said. They shook hands.

"Yeah, you just remember the overprotective part." Daryl narrowed his eyes at him. "And don't call me sir."

I let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah."

Chad nodded. "Is that a Horton Scout?" He asked my brother.

"Yeah." Daryl gave him a questioning look. "Ya ever use one?"

"My uncle taught me. I'm not very good, though. I've never been much of a hunter. I don't like killing things."

"Well, who does?" Daryl said. "Huntin' ain't fer fun, it's fer livin'."

"I couldn't agree more, sir—uh, I mean…Daryl."

I was silently laughing at the two of them. They were completely different. Plus, Chad said he wants to date me. Daryl doesn't like anyone who wants to date his baby sister.

"So, what do ya plan on doin' with my Le tonight?" Daryl asked Chad. Chad looked a little nervous. I looked at the ground with a smirk. I feel kind of bad for the kid.

"Uh, well…we're just going to bang-HANG," Chad's eyes widened as he corrected himself. "I meant to say _hang_." He laughed nervously. "I don't know why I even said that. I would never...uh, never mind." He laughed again.

My face flushed, but I wanted to laugh so bad. It was hard to hold it in.

My brother did not look impressed. "Mhmm. Well, I want 'er home by midnight."

"Of course."

Daryl squinted at Chad. "How old are you, boy?"

"Uh, eighteen."

"Yer too old fer her."

"Daryl." I said.

"My Leann is a delicate soul." Daryl said making my face flush. "You remember that, too."

Chad nodded. "Got it." We just kind of stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Don't ya got somewhere to be?" Daryl asked Chad.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." He turned to me. "Bye, Le." He went to give me a hug, but Daryl stepped in front of him.

"Bye, Chad." He said. Chad looked at me from around Daryl.

"I told ya." I giggled. "See ya tonight."

"Yeah, see ya." Chad smiled and walked away.

"Ya told 'im what?" Daryl looked down at me.

"Just that yer a hardass." I smiled sweetly at him.

He nodded. "Got that right."

* * *

"He's nice, ain't he?" I said to Daryl as we were making our way back to the room.

"Yeah, he's nice. Stay away from 'im."

I giggled. "What?"

"I ain't gonna let him take my baby from me."

"Oh, Daryl." I waved him off. We just arrived back at the room and went inside. "I gotta go get ready fer tonight."

"What do ya gotta get ready fer? Ya look fine."

"Thanks but I gotta change my clothes." I went right into my room and changed out of my jeans. I put a black pair of leggings on and a nice white shirt. I also changed my shoes. I kept my hair the way it was, pulled back in the center. Daryl's right. It does make me look cute.

"Le, I'm goin' on a run." Daryl just informed me. "I might not be back by the time you are, so can I trust ya to come home by twelve?"

"Yeah, but…yer goin' on a run? Right now?"

"Yeah, we need some thangs. Plus, it ain't fair that we're eatin' these people's food and not pullin' our own weight. I'm gonna see what I can do."

"Well, okay. Be careful."

"You, too." He gave me a kiss. "Home by midnight. I mean it."

"Yes, Daryl."

"Good girl." He grabbed his crossbow. "Love ya."

"Love ya, too." He was out the door in a second. Wonder why he left so suddenly? That was kind of weird. Oh well. I shrugged.

* * *

"Le, I'm so glad you made it." Leila greeted me at the door.

"Hi." I smiled. I stepped inside. There was only a few people there.

"I love your hair, but…why'd you wash the makeup off?

"Oh, I must have forgot about it and washed it off in the shower." I lied.

"That's okay. I can redo it before Chad gets here." She smiled.

"Oh, no that's—

"Nonsense. Let's go." She grabbed my hand and took me to her room.

After Leila did my makeup, I sat there with a drink in my hand barely talking to anyone. "Hey," I finally said to Leila, "won't yer parents get made if we drink their booze?"

She laughed. "This is my house. My parents live down the hall."

I blinked. "Oh."

"Come on. I want you to meet some new people. She introduced me to the others that were there.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened to your finger?" A guy asked.

"A walker bit it."

Everyone gasped. "Y-you mean…you got bit and didn't die?"

"No cuz my brother cut it off in time.

"Whoa! That's crazy awesome!"

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, well…

"Chad's here." Leila told me. I turned around to see Chad standing by the door, he was talking to a few people. He noticed me then started making his way over. I swallowed hard.

"Hey, beautiful." He said and kissed my cheek. I blushed.

"Hi."

"Want a drink?"

"Oh, I already have one."

"So? I'll get you another." He smiled taking my cup. I smiled back at him. _He really is cute._

* * *

The party went on. I spent most of my time with Chad, we really hit it off. And he's super nice! He walked off at one point and I was left with Leila and a bunch of girls. I was pretty drunk.

"I bet you've never been with a guy before." Leila said.

"Not true." I said. "I was with a guy named Jay a while back. He was twenty-seven."

"Bullshit!"

"He was! I ain't lyin'."

"And you guys did it?" Sam asked.

"Well, not _it_ it. But we did other stuff."

"Was he hot?" Leila asked me.

"So friggin' hot." We all laughed. Chad came back and handed me another drink.

"I ain't even done with the one I have."

"That's okay." He said.

"I think yer just tryin' get me drunk." I giggled.

"Can't argue with the truth."

* * *

Chad and I were away from everyone else. We were making out, he was grabbing parts of me and I wasn't stopping him. "Let's go somewhere." He said.

I gasped inside and got a little scared but then he planted kisses down my neck and it gave me a good feeling inside.

"Okay." I breathed.

* * *

 **Howdy y'all! I hope everyone is having a good week! Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows! It's much appreciated! Can everyone reading this please leave a review, though? I would really appreciate it! I love hearing from you** **and getting feedback! So, please just tell me SOMETHING! Thanks, loves! :D**


	13. Ready or Not?

Daryl wasn't there when I got back to the room, I made sure of it. I changed out of my clothes and collapsed onto my bed crying. I sobbed into the pillow. _I'm so stupid I'm so stupid._ I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't even want to…well…maybe I did. I don't know.

I tried to calm down, taking a few deep breaths, the memory played in my head. After Chad took me into Leila's room, we—we didn't even talk or anything. We just started… He took my clothes off and I just let him, I don't know if I wanted him to or not, it was like my mind was somewhere else. We were about to do and…someone walked in. I think it was Sam, but I'm not sure, I didn't get a good look at them. I immediately snapped out of it and pushed Chad off me, grabbing my clothes and putting them on faster than anything. I didn't say anything to anyone just took off out the door. It must have been a sight. I'm sure Sam or whoever that was told everyone. I remember hearing Chad call after me as I was leaving. He said he would call me. I almost laughed. It sounded so…normal. But things weren't normal, they were so far from normal.

And now here I am, laying on my bed bawling my eyes out. I feel like a complete idiot. Part of me wishes I would have stayed and just had sex with Chad, another part is happy that we got interrupted and I left. Or maybe I should have stayed but not did it. I think it would be so awkward, though. It's not okay _now_! I mean…could I even face Chad? What do I say to him after this? I just sobbed harder into my pillow. I wish Daryl was here, I need someone to talk to. Then again, can I even talk to him about this? He'll freak! I can just picture the look he'll give me. He's going to kill me when he finds out.

* * *

I stayed up until Daryl got home. He seemed to kind of just stumble into our room. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Why are ya still awake?" He said ignoring my question.

"I-I couldn't sleep. So, I waited fer ya to get in." I sat up. "Are you okay? Ya don't look so good."

"Yeah, just ran into a little trouble. I'm all right, though." My brother got into his bed without changing out of his clothes. He didn't put any blankets on either.

"Ya don't seem alright."

"Le, I'm fine, okay? Just go to sleep."

"Well, I kinda have to talk to you about somethin'." I said nervously.

"…can it wait til in the mornin'? I wanna sleep." He let out a small laugh.

I thought for a minute. Now is probably not a good time to tell him. Besides, I'd feel guilty for keeping him up when he feels this way. Still, I was a little disappointed. I needed to talk. "Sure, okay." I finally said. I think he was asleep already. I rolled over facing away from him. Tears started coming down again, I couldn't stop them.

* * *

When I woke up next, it was morning. Daryl was still in bed. That's odd, he's always up before me. I checked the clock, it was just passed eight. He never sleeps this long either. My brother has always been an early riser. _Poor Daryl, he must really be tired._ I thought while looking at him.

"I ain't sleepin'." My brother said groggily.

I let out a small laugh. "Then why ya still in bed?"

"My back is killin' me."

"Oh." I blinked. "Want me to make us some breakfast? We still got that box of pancake mix." I grinned at him.

"Just go to the cafe and get us somethin'."

"Mmm…nah. I don't wanna go down there. I'll just make us somethin'."

"Suit yerself."

I was about to get up. "Okay, but don't look. I ain't wearin' pants."

"I won't look."

I hurriedly got up and put my sweatpants on. I don't plan on leaving the house today. As Leila said, there was school today, but I ain't goin'. I can always just go tomorrow. I can't be around people today. I made my way into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I gasped, some of the makeup was still evident on my face. I quickly washed it off. Good thing Daryl didn't notice. I'm sure I really would have got it.

I just finished the first batch of pancakes when my brother walked into the kitchen. "Oh, yer up? I was gonna bring 'em to ya."

"That's okay, baby." He sat down, I didn't miss his grimace. I sat a plate of pancakes in front of him and he started eating immediately. Then, I got myself a plate and sat with him. "So, how was yer party? Did ya have a good time with _Chad_ or whatever his name is?"

I almost choked on my orange juice. I know he didn't mean it the way I heard it but still… "It was fine." I said without looking up.

"Did ya come home at twelve like I told ya?"

I had to think. "No, actually, I thank it was before that."

"Hmm. Really? Why? Did somethin' happen?"

I bit my lip. "No." I lied. He was looking at me like he could tell I wasn't being truthful. "Just…uh, someone got sick. So, everyone left."

"All right." He raised his eyebrows. "These are good pancakes."

"Thanks." I hurriedly looked away thankful that he changed the subject. I wanted to tell him, but I was waiting for the right time. And right then was not the right time. I sighed then guzzled down my juice.

* * *

I did up the dishes then saw my brother laying on the couch on his stomach. "Man, my back is really killin' me." He said. I gave him a sad look. Daryl isn't the type to complain even when something is bothering him. So, his back must really be hurting. I felt pretty bad.

"It's really hurtin' ya, huh?"

"Yeah, it does."

I hesitated. "…well…want me to rub it fer ya? I used to rub daddy's back all the time after he came back from huntin'. He used to love it." I got an awkward feeling after saying that so I continued, "Uh, it used to put him to sleep. That way I could do whatever I wanted." I giggled.

"Yeah, sure, baby. If ya want to." Daryl mumbled. I knelt down next to him and started with his shoulders. "Wow, yer really tense." I said trying to sound like those women on TV. My brother chuckled then grimaced. "Don't make me laugh." I went down a little.

"Where does it hurt exactly?"

"Like my shoulders to the middle of my back."

"Hmm…maybe cuz ya carry round that heavy crossbow all the time."

"What are ya? A doctor now?" He said roughly. "And rub harder, I can see why ya put 'em to sleep."

I giggled.

I continued rubbing his back for a while. He got quieter and quieter as I was. Eventually, I heard his light breathing and stopped because I knew he was asleep. I sighed looking at him. I feel really bad for Daryl, he does a lot for us and never gets a break. I really wish there was something special I could do for him, something to let him know how much he really means to me and that he's appreciated. I guess I could respect him a little more. Listen to him more. When he tells to do something or not to do something, I should obey him. That should take some stress off him. I know he's never going to stop worrying about me, but I could at least make it so he doesn't have to as often.

What should I do now? I thought while absentmindedly looking around. My eyes landed on the walkie, I just remembered that Chad said he would call me. I checked the time, it was almost noon. He still hasn't called.

* * *

I was in my room straightening my hair with the hair straightener that Leila gave to me when I heard my brother finally get up. "Le?" He called.

"In here!" I yelled. Daryl walked in the room. "Are you feelin' better?"

"Yeah, I am." He nodded. "Thanks fer the back rub, it really helped."

"That's good." I sniffled.

"Are _you_ okay? Ya sound like you was cryin'."

Still not the right time. "I'm fine. I must just be gettin' a cold or somethin'." I told lie number three, which made me feel guilty.

"Maybe you should take it easy fer the next couple days then." He walked out of the room.

"Yeah. I was supposed to go to school today." I finished with my hair and followed Daryl out of the room.

"Oh yeah. I fergot about that. Well, you can go tomorra if ya feel okay."

"Yeah…I was thankin'…maybe I won't go. I can stay here with you like ya said." I smiled.

"No, you cain't do that."

I blinked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Ya wanted to go, so yer goin'. I don't wanna hold ya back from anythang."

"No, Daryl, it's okay. I'll just—

"Nope. Yer goin'." He tapped my nose. I sat down slowly at the kitchen table. I never should have told him I wanted to go. "So, I just remembered ya wanted to talk about something last night? What was it?"

My eyes widened and the blood drained from my face. His question totally caught me off guard. I wasn't ready to tell him, but I had to tell him something or he'd get it out of me somehow. "Uh…it wasn't important." I shook my head.

"Ya sure? You know ya can tell me anythang, right?"

 _Not that I almost had sex._ "Yeah, of course." I smiled.

"All right." He sat down in front of me. "But…I thank it's time we had a little talk about a certain thang." My eyes went wide. _He knows._ I shook that thought. He couldn't possibly know.

"W-what do ya mean?" I decided to play dumb.

"Well, yer gettin' a little older and goin' around guys. As much as I don't like it, I know I cain't stop ya from it so…I want ya to know a few thangs. I don't want ya doin' nothin' with nobody yet. I want ya to…wait, ya know?" Daryl seemed as nervous as I was. I almost wanted to laugh but then I felt guilty. He doesn't even know. I leaned back in my chair, it felt like I was drained inside. He was talking but I wasn't really hearing anything he said. I started playing the events of last night back in my head. I cringed and become more and more emotional. I felt like I was going to explode. Plus, Chad still never even called me. I couldn't take it anymore. It was going to come out. "…and ya know, you should always make sure—

"Daryl, it happened already," I shouted, "okay, it happened!" I looked up at him. He was staring at me with shock on his face then it turned to anger. _Oh shit._

"WHAT?" Daryl practically screamed in my ear.

"…last night. That's what I wanted to talk ta ya about."

"Sorry, what?" He snapped. "You did it? Ya had sex?"

"No. But I almost did." I put my head down. "Very very close to it."

My brother was silent for a minute. "It was that kid, wasn't it?" He nodded angrily. "That Chad kid. I'll kill 'im!"

"Daryl, nothin happened." I could feel tears starting to form.

"Yeah, but it could've. And I KNOW it wasn't yer idea."

"How do you know?" I sniffled. "No one ever talked to me about that kinda stuff before. Ya thank I'm a baby."

"You are a baby!" Daryl yelled close to my face. "Yer fifteen! You ain't done nothin' in life before! Ya don't know the first thang." He lowered his voice but still glared at me. I stared at the table with tears in my eyes. "You ain't ready to have sex."

"Daryl." I looked back up at him with my cry face. "Nothin' happened, okay? And I know yer mad, but can ya please not yell at me right now? How do ya think I feel?" I looked down sadly. "And Chad said he was gonna call me and he still ain't called."

He snorted then was quiet for a moment. "Yer never goin' out again."

"That's fine with me." I got up and walked to the window wiping my tears away.

After about a minute or two, I felt Daryl wrapped his arms around me from behind. "You mad at me?" He spoke softly.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I ain't mad at you." I said annoyed.

"You sure?" His face was touching the side of my head.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"You sure that yer sure?" He kissed my cheek.

"Yeah." I giggled. "I'm sure that I'm sure." I'm glad that's over and done with. "But Daryl?" I turned to face him. "What do I do about Chad? He ain't called yet."

He gave me a disappointed look. "I'm sorry, baby. He seemed like a nice kid. But…it happens. Even the nicest guys can turn out to be the biggest dicks."

I sighed and sadly put my head down. "I really liked him, ya know?"

My brother paused. "…ya want me to break his legs?"

"No." I giggled and gently shoved his arm.

"Well, if thangs don't work out with him, you'll always have yer big brother. Ya don't need no one else."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Daryl." I hugged him, he hugged me back tightly.

"Ya sure ya don't want me to at least break his arm or—

"Daryl! No!" I giggled.

* * *

The next day, I stood outside the door. "Well, here goes." Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.

"Come in." A voice said. I stepped inside and the teacher greeted me. "Hello there! I'm Miss Kay. And you are?"

"Leann." I stated. "But I prefer Le."

"Okay, Le." She turned her attention to the class. "Everyone, this is Le. She is our newest student. Please, be kind and welcome her."

The class said hi. I smiled and nodded. "You can have a seat anywhere." Miss Kay said. I walked to the back and sat next to a girl around my age. "We don't have a lot of books, Le." Miss Kay said. "So, you'll have to share with someone." I just nodded. The girl next to me kept looking at me. I just gave her a smile. She smiled back. "Hi, I'm Michelle. You can share with me." She moved over.

"Oh, thanks." I said.

"No, problem." She grinned form ear to ear. Michelle seemed a little too happy. But I don't know very many people here, so I'll be nice.

After class, the teacher dismissed us for lunch. I sat with Michelle. "So, how does this whole school thang work?" I asked her.

"I'm so glad you asked!" She smiled. "Well, we're separated by age, like regular school. We learn for about two hours then have lunch then another two hours after."

"It's only four hours?"

"Yup. Plus, we get Saturday and Sunday off just like real time!" She gasped. "You have to come over after school! I have so much to talk you about!"

"Oh, I would but I cain't. I have to get home."

"Oh no. You sure?"

"Yeah, my brother would kill me if I didn't come straight home."

"Your brother, huh?"

"Yeah, it's just he and I. But he's really overprotective so…"

"I get it! Another time then!" Michelle grinned widely. I smiled then got up to take my tray up.

As I was walking, I saw Leila, Sam and Amber sitting at one table. "Hey, guys." I said.

"Oh, hey." Leila said apathetically.

"I didn't see you guys earlier."

"Yeah, we skipped." Sam informed me.

"Oh, cool." I smiled.

"Yeah, be right back." Leila said and walked passed me without even looking at me.

"Is somethin' wrong with Leila?" I asked them.

"Well…don't tell her I told you, but she thinks you and Chad had sex in her bed so she's a little…" Sam trailed off.

"But we didn't." I said. "You opened the door, ya saw what happened."

"Yeah, but…you're gonna have to tell her that yourself." Sam cleared her throat. "By the way, I saw you sitting with Michelle. Stay away from her, trust me. She's the most annoying girl ever."

I blinked. "Oh, really? Well, can I sit here then?" I sat down before they said anything. "I'll clear thangs up with Leila, too."

"Good luck." Sam said. "Here she comes." Leila hesitated when she saw me.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" I said.

She sighed and sat down. "I guess."

"Look, I don't know what ya heard, but…I didn't do nothin' with Chad. I would never, especially in someone else's bed." I grimaced.

"You sure? I mean…it looked pretty bad."

"I know how it looked, but I'm bein' honest."

"Okay." She smiled. "I believe you. So, what happened with Chad anyway?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I don't wanna talk about it. But he said he would call me but he never did."

"Oh." Leila gave me a disappointed look. "I think I know why. You may or may not want to turn around."

I gave her a weird look then quickly spun around. Chad was two tables over making out with—with that girl! The Summer skanky bitch girl! My mouth gaped open, I glanced at Leila then back at the disgusting scene in front of me. Suddenly, my stomach felt sick and I started breathing heavily. I gotta get outta here! I got up and ran for the door. "Le, where are you going?" Leila called after me. I ignored her and ran out of the cafe, I ran outside and all the way back to the room.

"Daryl!" I yelled once I was inside. "Daryl!" He emerged from another room with a strange look on his face.

"Le? I didn't expect ya home so early. I thought ya said—

"Daryl!" I ran to him wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest. "You was right. He's a dick." I sobbed.

"What? Le, what's goin' on?"

"Chad." I looked up at my brother. "He was makin' out with another girl." I buried my face back in his chest. "Right in front 'a me." We stood like that for a minute then Daryl lifted me and sat down on the couch with me on his lap.

"I'm sorry." He held me close and gently rocked me. "Shh."

"It hurts." I sobbed.

"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry he did that to ya."

I calmed down a little but stayed there. "I hate him. You can break his legs now." My brother chuckled. "And, I ain't goin' back to school neither."

"It was only yer first day. Ya cain't let one person ruin thangs fer ya. That way ya wouldn't do nothin'." He pulled out his bandana and wiped my nose.

"Daryl." I giggled.

"I'm just takin' care 'a my baby." He kissed my forehead. I just relaxed and leaned my head on him. "It'll be okay. Ya don't need 'im."

I nodded wiping my tears. "I know."

* * *

 **Please review! :D Thanks!**


	14. Summer's End

Even though I didn't want to, I went back to school the next day. I didn't talk to anyone, though. Kids found out about what happened and they would point at me and snicker. Occasionally, I would hear someone call me things like, "freak" or "robot" because of my brace. It hurt my feelings pretty bad, but I tried my best to ignore it.

A few days had gone by and things only got worse. My "friends" stopped talking to me because they knew I was getting picked on and no one wants to be friends with the kid getting bullied in the fear that people will start picking on them, too. I don't even know why I come here. Daryl doesn't know about any of this, I was too embarrassed to tell him, but if he knew he'd probably let me stop going. Plus, he's been going on a lot of runs lately so I didn't want to concern him with my stupid problems.

Later in the evening, Daryl and I ate dinner together in the room. I don't go to the cafe anymore unless I have to. We just sat there eating and not really talking.

"So, how is everythang?" He finally spoke.

"Fine." I said sadly while pushing my food around.

"Le, eat." My brother said.

"I cain't. I ain't hungry."

"Ya never are no more." He grabbed my face with one hand like he does. "Hey, somethin' wrong?" I just shook my head. "Ya know you can tell me if somethin's wrong?"

I nodded. "I'm fine."

My brother hesitated for a while then finally let me go. "All right. But if ya ain't gonna eat then get to bed." I didn't say anything just got up and went to my room. I laid down and must have drifted off to sleep even though it was still pretty early.

* * *

I felt Daryl kiss my temple and it woke me up, I was facing the wall. It was dark now, he got in his bed. I waited for him to get situated and once it was quiet, I said, "do you like it here?"

"What?" My brother said.

"This place? Do ya like it?"

"Sure. S'alright."

I was quiet for a minute. I can't make him leave then, it wouldn't be fair. "Okay." That was the end of our conversation.

* * *

Luckily, today was Saturday, which meant no school. I sat on the floor in the main room drawing on a piece of paper. Daryl walked by me and pushed my hair back. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Just doodlin'."

"Why don't ya draw me somethin'?"

"Nah, don't feel like it." I pushed the paper aside.

"Yeah? Ya feelin' okay? Cuz ya say that a lot now." Daryl said. I didn't reply to him. "Seriously, Le. There's somethin' goin' on and I want ya to tell me. Yer not the same at all no more. Yer just all…mopey. Ya don't even go out with yer friends no more."

"That's cuz I don't have any." I said without lifting my head.

My brother sighed. "Le? What's goin' on with ya? Please tell me. I cain't stand seein' ya so unha—

"The other kids are callin' me names."

"What?"

"I'm bein' bullied…just like I used to in school."

"They pickin' on you?" He asked. I nodded. "Le, why didn't ya tell me? Ya know you don't have to go, right?"

"No, I do. The only thang worse than goin' is not goin' back. I mean…we live here. They'll know they won." My brother gave me a sympathetic look. I knew he didn't know what to say.

* * *

I took a walk later that day, Daryl said he'd come with me but I just wanted to be alone. I aimlessly walked around and ended up by the locker rooms. I watched a man walk out of the men's locker room, he was slightly attractive. A weird idea popped into my head. I realized I've never seen a guy's penis before. Well…except my daddy's…but that was against my will. I shivered. I walked up to the entrance and peeked inside at all the guys being careful they didn't notice me. I looked at all of them. I didn't see Chad's that night, everything happened too fast, plus, I was too drunk. The only other penis I ever saw was my friend Billy's. We were like five at the time. I remembered the memory:

We were in a kiddie pool in his backyard. No adults were around. Billy said _, "I'll show ya mine if ya show me yers."_

So we showed each other what we had. That's when I found out that boys and girls had different parts. But…we were just kids. It was a baby penis. I want to see one now.

"Le?" I heard a voice say. I immediately jumped against the wall. It was Miss Kay. _Oh God!_ "Le, were you doing what I think?" I couldn't speak, I tried shaking my head. "You were. What else would you be doing?"

"Uh, I…

"Come over here." I nervously walked to her. "It's okay, don't be embarrassed. But I'm gonna have to tell your parents."

I looked at her wide-eyed. "No, please. My brother will kill me."

"Your brother?"

"Yeah, he's all I have. No parents."

"Oh, I didn't know." She gave me a small smile. "How old is your brother?"

"Like forty."

"Oh." She blinked. "And his name?"

"Daryl Dixon."

"Okay, well, I'm afraid I'll have to tell Daryl."

"No, Miss Kay, please don't." I begged her.

"I'm sorry, Le. I have to. Come on, honey. Take me to your house."

I hung my head low and walked back to the room with her following me.

* * *

Miss Kay knocked on the door. It opened and there stood Daryl with a strange look on his face. "Hello, I'm Le's teacher, Miss Kay. You must be Mr. Dixon?" They shook hands. I glanced up at him, he was eyeing me suspiciously.

"Did Le do somethin'?" He asked. I ran passed him and into my room. I jumped on the bed and started crying. I could hear their muffled voices but didn't know what they were saying.

About ten minutes later, Daryl came into the room and sat on his bed. He didn't say anything for the longest time. Finally, I heard him let out a small laugh then he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm gonna be honest, Le…I don't even know what to say."

"I wasn't doin' nothin' wrong. I-I was just curious."

"So, ya look at a bunch 'a naked guys?"

"…I didn't thank it through."

He snorted. "Yeah, well…yer teacher thanks ya need councilin'. I talked her outta it. Don't get mad but I told her about yer learnin' disability…she said ya shouldn't come to school no more. Said she can give ya private lessons here or at her house. She was actually very nice."

My mouth gaped open. "What? I ain't stupid! I can—

"Le." Daryl cut me off. "I agree with her. I'm sorry. Why would ya wanna go there anyway? Ya said they make fun 'a ya."

I just stared at him. I felt betrayed. "I-I cain't believe ya'd do this to me!" I stood up and leaned over the bed. I was so mad, but I knew there wasn't anything I could do about it. I just kept grunting in anger, that's all I could think to do.

"Le, calm down." My brother said. I ignored him and kept grunting with tears running down my face. I was having one of my "breakdowns", which I didn't have in a long time. "Leann, you stop it right now!"

I turned and looked at him and screamed, "no!" I shoved him then tried to run, but he grabbed me quickly and laid me over his lap holding me down. I was even madder now that he did that. "Lemme go!"

"No, Le! You better quit." He gave me a hard swat. I struggled to get lose but he held me there. He rubbed my back and soothed me. My anger subsided but I continued to cry. I was sobbing so hard I felt like I could puke.

Finally, he let me up and I hugged him around the neck. He let me cry some more. "Shh. I'm sorry, Le. I'm sorry I hit ya. Come on, calm down." I took a few deeps breaths and eventually I was back to normal.

"I'm sorry." I sniffled. "I'm sorry."

"Why'd ya freak out like that, huh?" He rubbed my back. "I ain't seen ya do that fer years."

"I know." I rubbed my eyes. "I guess it was just everythang."

"That's all right. You okay?"

"I thank so." I nodded.

"Okay." He pushed my hair back. "You still ain't goin' back to school, though."

"I know." I said sadly. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"All right. I'm goin' on a run so take yer key. I probably won't be here when ya get back. Is that okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I'll be fine."

* * *

I gathered up my stuff and headed down to the showers.

When I walked inside, I froze dead in my tracks. Summer and her friends were in there. I stood there a minute just staring at her, she sure was pretty with her shiny, long, blonde hair. A lot prettier than me. She finally noticed me looking at her. "What?" She snapped.

My face flushed and I hurriedly looked away. I contemplated going back to the room, but stayed because I was already down here. I'll just be quick, they won't even know I'm here. I put my stuff into a locker then I picked a shower and immediately closed the curtain. It did feel nice, I got to wash this whole day off me.

I showered quickly and wrapped a towel around myself. I stepped out and made my way over to the locker I had my stuff in. I just got my towel off and was about to get dressed but then…I slipped on a some shower gel on the floor and my face went right into Summer's chest. I quickly straightened myself and stared up at her. "Sorry! I'm sorry, I slipped. It was an accident." She was giving me a disgusted look.

"I don't believe you!" She said. "You're a little pervert. Yeah, we heard about your little incident in the men's locker room." They giggled. My face flushed. "Oh, hey. Wait a minute, you're that freak with the missing finger." She laughed. "I didn't recognize you without your brace." I put my head down. "I can see why Chad didn't want you either." She looked my body up and down causing me to blush. "He's not interested in children." They all laughed again. I bet my face was redder than ever. I tried to walk passed her to get my stuff but she wouldn't let me. "Tell ya what, robot," Summer started, "you wanna see naked guys? Okay, yeah, there's a lot of guys that would like that." She grinned evilly at her friends. "Get her, girls!" They grabbed me and started pushing me towards the door.

"No, please! Don't! Please stop! No!" I screamed in terror. There was too many of them and they were bigger than me. They shoved me all the way into the hall and opened the door to the men's room and shoved me in.

"Here boys!" She yelled and closed the door. I immediately screamed and banged on the door.

"Please, let me out!" I cried.

"Hey, check it out!" A voice said. I turned around and to my horror, there was a bunch of guys in there. Some of them I recognized. One was Patrick.

"Hey, frog tits!" He said. I did my best to cover myself while trying to get out. The girls must be holding the door closed. All the guys came over to me and did stuff to me like grabbing and pinching my bottom. I screamed. This was a never ending nightmare! I eventually just curled up in a corner and cried.

* * *

I sobbed uncontrollably all the back to the room. I got inside and screamed for Daryl, but then I remembered he went on a run. I dropped down to my knees and cried on the floor. I could not believe what just happened. I pounded my fists on the floor and had the worst tantrum I ever had before. I'm lucky no one was around to see it. I screamed and cried for the longest time.

Once I calmed down, I just laid there. I kept playing it back in my head. The worst part was, I had to just sit there until everyone left so I could get out and go next door to get my clothes. My hair is still wet, it soaked the back of my shirt but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything at all right then.

When I tell Daryl about this, he's going to freak out. I hope he does. I hope he takes his crossbow and hunts all of them down. That would be the best thing for everyone.

I wish my brother was here now. As soon as he gets home, I'm telling him I want to leave.

* * *

I sat on the couch on Daryl's lap and cried into his chest while he rubbed my back and gently rocked me. "It was horrible." I sobbed.

"Shh." He soothed me. "We'll leave first thang in the mornin'. Just one more night here, okay?" He pushed my hair back. I nodded then clung to him and cried some more. "Those sick bastards." My brother said. "I'd like to get my hands on 'em."

"I hate 'em all!" I cried. "I hope they all die! Specially, Summer."

"Don't you worry. She'll get what's comin' to her."

"I hope…I hope…the worst thang ever happens to her. I don't even care. She's the worst person ever so she deserves the worst punishment ever."

"She'll get it one day." Daryl said. "Just try to calm down. Those guys…you didn't get hurt, did ya?"

"No." I shook my head. Just my feelings.

"All right. Well, like I said, we'll leave first thang." He hugged me tightly.

"Okay, okay." I cried.

* * *

That night, I laid in bed thinking when we first got here, this place was going to be Hampton Lake all over again. Well, it wasn't. It was the exact opposite. It was so much worse. I would relive all those events everyday than to ever go through again what happened to me today.

Yeah, that's what I thought at first, but then I remembered how Daryl and I argued and how we weren't as close as we used to be back at that place. At least I have him now, I don't know what I would do without my big brother. Nothing could ever be worse than that. I looked over at him sleeping in his bed. Daryl's the love of my life. I know that sounds weird, he being my brother and all, but it's true. We're closer than we have ever been and I think I'm done finding new friends. Daryl is right, all I need is him. Fuck everyone else. I just wish I would have realized that before coming here.

* * *

Daryl and I left bright and early the next day just like he promised me. We didn't even say goodbye to anyone or eat breakfast. We just gathered up what we wanted to take and took off.

I was so relieved once we were back on the road. Daryl ran his hand through my hair and smiled at me. "Ya okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I'm better than okay. I'm great."

"Good."

"You was right before." I said making my brother look at me. "When ya said yer all I need. Well, it's true. No more people, no more places. Just us."

He stared at me for a while then shrugged. "All right. If that's what ya want, sweet thang."

"It is." I smiled. "I wish we never went there. It was just a big mistake."

"Well, don't say that. It was kinda a learnin' experience fer ya."

"What do ya mean?"

"Well, at least now ya know."

I blinked at him in confusion. Instead of asking him what he meant, though, I just thought about it and came up with the answer. "Yeah, yer right."


	15. Let It Slide

Daryl and I sat around a campfire in the woods telling scary stories. I found a book called, Of Haunted Houses and Campfire Tales, in a house we looked at. We only found very few supplies, but this book looked interesting so I snatched it up. Now, we were taking turns reading the short scary stories inside.

"I'll go first." I said. "Hmm." I skimmed through the pages using my flashlight. There was one called, _Black Eyed Children._ "Oh. This one sounds interesting." I cleared my throat then started:

"One night, I heard a knock at the door. It was unusual because I hardly ever have company, especially at this time of night. "Who is it?" I yelled. I heard someone say, "Please. We need help." It sounded like a child so I immediately opened the door. There was a little girl and boy standing on the porch that I had never seen before. I live in a small neighborhood so we all kind of know each other. "What can I help you with?" I asked them. "Can we come in and use the telephone?" The little boy said. He was so calm that it unsettled me. I turned the porch light on and that's when I saw their dark black eyes. Their faces were expressionless. I couldn't take me eyes away from them; It was like they were staring into my soul. They were saying things to me, but I wasn't listening. These were just children but they terrified me so badly that I just wanted to slam the door in their faces. I wanted them to go away and never come back. There was something not right about them at all. The girl said something but I didn't hear her. "Sorry, what?" I said. "We need to come in and use the phone." She said. She was more demanding this time. Still not taking my eyes away from theirs, I said, "Um…I don't have a phone." It was a lie, but there was no way in hell I was letting them in. "Liar." They said in unison, which made them all the more creepy. They just stood there staring at me with those black eyes and blank expressions. "Please just go away." I said. They continued to stare into my soul for I don't even know how long, before sighing and then calmly walking away. I wanted to see where they were going so I'd know in which direction they came from, but they were just gone. I mean…it was like I blinked and they were gone. I've never seen those children before nor did I ever see them again after this. However, I couldn't ever get the image of those black eyes out of my head." I finished the story.

"Creepy." I said and giggled. "Yer turn." I handed my brother the book.

"Nah, why don't you just read 'em?"

"That ain't fun." I complained. "We take turns."

"Yeah, but I like hearin' ya read."

"Well, just read one then I'll read another." I smiled handing him the book again. He finally took it. I watched him skim through the pages for a while.

"Okay." He cleared his throat. "I'll read the _The Tiny Door."_ He raised his eyebrows and made a gesture with his hands. I giggled. "All right." He sighed then began reading.

"Timmy and his family moved into a new house." Daryl started. I laughed, he stopped and looked at me. "Really?" He asked annoyed.

"Sorry." I said and giggled. "Continue."

"All right. So…Timmy and his family moved into a new house. Timmy was always kind of a brat." He stopped. "I know another one 'a them." He said looking up at me from the book. I giggled. Daryl continued, "He said that he better get the best room or he wasn't going to live here. His parents always agreed with him because they just didn't feel like dealing with him." Daryl stopped again. "Yeah, I wouldn't either." He said making me laugh again. "As they were looking around the house, Timmy wasn't satisfied. He was disgusted with what he was seeing. Suddenly, Timmy heard his name being called upstairs; he looked at his parents and they didn't seem to notice so he went upstairs. To Timmy's surprise, there wasn't anyone up there, but he didn't care. He was too distracted by the room he had found. The room was huge! It had a nice, wide open space for activities and the bedroom itself was to the right when you walked up the stairs. It even had its own bathroom. Technically it was the attic, but Timmy didn't care. This was definitely the room for him; he heard it calling him, literally.

Later that night, when all their stuff was moved in, Timmy was upstairs playing when he heard his name being called again. He looked around but didn't see anyone. He walked into his bedroom and also did not see anyone. As he was leaving, his arm bumped the door making it close a little. He then noticed a little door, just big enough for him to fit through, in the wall behind his bedroom door. He was intrigued and opened it. All he saw was darkness inside. He felt around for a light switch, but couldn't find one. Suddenly, Timmy got a creepy feeling and closed the door. When it was bedtime, Timmy could not get his mind off the tiny door. Timmy was awakened shortly after by hearing his name being called. He sat up and looked around the room. Then his eyes darted to the tiny door. His eyes were glued to it like he was waiting for something to happen. Eventually, something did. Timmy watched as the door opened and a creature like thing came out of it." My eyes went wide and I was on the edge of the log listening to Daryl read. "Timmy was frozen in fear. The entity called to him, but Timmy wouldn't move. Then, as if by magic, Timmy got out of bed and walked towards the tiny door. He wasn't doing that though. It was like he was in a trance. Timmy couldn't control himself as he followed the entity through the tiny door and into the darkness. Timmy was never seen again." Daryl finished. "Good. That kid was a little prick."

I laughed. "That was crazy." I grinned from ear to ear.

"All right. Here." My brother threw the book to me, it almost landed in the fire. I skimmed through the pages again. "This is called, _The Music Box."_ I said happily. I started reading:

"I had given my daughter a music box that was in my family for years. It was broken, but she could still use it as a box for her jewelry or something. She didn't seem too thrilled about it, but I really wanted her to have it since it's been in my family for so long. Well, one day she came to me all excited saying someone was talking to her through the box. I just laughed it off because my daughter always had such a big imagination. I asked her what their name was and she said Carol." I stopped and looked at my brother. "That's weird." I said and laughed it off. I continued. "Suddenly, chills went down my spine and I could feel the blood draining from my face. I quickly took it off of her and told her to go play in the other room. You see when I was younger, my sister used to talk to someone named Carol as well. She said she lived in our house but only she could see her. We all just shrugged it off at first, but then my sister started having nightmares every night and never got any sleep. She got sick a lot, too. She became depressed soon after and hardly ever ate. My sister was scared all the time during this time. I also remember her being angry a lot. She complained constantly that, Carol, was the cause of it all. It wasn't until we moved that my sister felt better. We had left Carol behind or so we thought. The music box came with us, but it's been in storage all these years, until I had found it and gave it to my daughter. If this is the same person that my daughter is talking to then I need to get rid of the music box. I told my husband about it when he got home and he took it outside and burnt it." I finished.

"Hmm." Daryl said. "That was a good one."

"Yeah." I said sadly and closed the book. That story made me think of Carol, _our_ Carol. I really missed her and everyone else.

"What? You don't wanna read no more?" My brother asked me. I just shook my head and laid down on the log. We were quiet for a moment.

"Hey, Daryl?" I spoke. "Do ya ever miss Carol? And, you know, the others?"

He was hesitant. "…well, sure. I miss 'em. I try not to thank about it, though. I'm just happy I got my baby sister with me."

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah, but…do ya ever wonder if they made it? And if they did, what they're doin' right now and where they are?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "I thank about that a lot. But like I said, I try _not_ to thank about it." My brother admitted. I just nodded.

"Well, I miss 'em. I thank about it all the time." I suddenly sat up. "Maybe we shoulda looked fer 'em more, ya know? Before we traveled so far away. Maybe we woulda found 'em." I played with a piece of bark on the log.

"Yeah, I know. I was just worried about keepin' you safe." Daryl said. "But…I'm sure they're fine wherever they are, all right?" He nodded. "Get some sleep now, okay?"

I sighed. "Okay." I rolled off the log and laid on the ground. Daryl kicked some dirt on the fire to put it out. "I wish we could do somethin' fun tomorra." I said.

"What do ya mean?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Just somethin' different. Somethin' fun." My brother gave me a sympathetic smile. I rolled over facing away from him and soon fell asleep.

* * *

 _Daryl and I were running for our lives from these guys that were after us. We ran and ran until we couldn't run anymore. We stopped behind a building to rest._

 _"_ _I thank we lost 'em." My brother said looking around the building._

 _"_ _I hope so. I— I was cut off by a terrible feeling I got. Suddenly, a man jumped out of literally nowhere and swung the ax cutting Daryl's head off. "NO!" I screamed. "OH GOD, DARYL! NO!" I fell to the ground bawling my eyes out._

I sat up quickly sweating and breathing heavily. Looking around I realized it was just a dream. That's when I noticed Daryl looking right at me with a concerned look on his face. "Another nightmare?" He asked. I took a minute to respond. I swallowed hard and just nodded. "Come'er." He beckoned me over. I slowly made my way to him. I sat up against him with his arm wrapped around me. "You wanna talk about it?"

I hesitated. "…some—some guys was after us and—and they…they killed you." I sobbed. "It was the worst dream ever. Worse than the ones about daddy."

"It's okay." He kissed the top of my head. "I ain't goin' no where. Ever."

I sniffled. "Promise?"

"Promise." He laid his head on top of mine. "Now, go back to sleep." I nodded and just leaned on him for comfort. It never took me long to fall asleep when my brother was there.

* * *

We traveled on early the next day. Eventually, we found a jeep and I drove while Daryl rested since he didn't get to sleep last night. He handed me a map before he went to sleep and told me to follow a certain route. He told me if I had any trouble to wake him up, but he didn't exactly tell me where we were headed. I just shrugged it off and followed his directions.

"Daryl." I woke my brother up. "We's out again."

"All right." He said stretching. "So we walk." We grabbed our weapons and walked the rest of the way.

"Where we goin' anyway?" I finally asked.

"You'll see." Was all he said. I gave him a questioning look. "Don't worry about it. Ya said ya wanted to do somethin' different so we're gonna do somethin' different."

"Yeah, but I also said I wanted it to be fun." I mumbled.

"What was 'at?"

"Nothin'." I grinned sweetly up at him. He smirked and swatted me.

We walked on this one road for a long time. We just crossed a bridge and were in a small town now. "It's just up ahead." My brother told me.

"How do ya even know?"

"I saw it on a map."

"I wish you would just tell me." I crossed my arms.

"You'll see soon enough."

We walked further up a hill and were now on another bridge. I could see an amusement park from a distance and I got kind of excited inside. That has to be where were going. I waited to say anything until we got a little closer. "Look! An amusement park!" I pointed. "Is that where we goin'?"

"Nope." Daryl said. "Not that one." I gave him another strange look. "It's even better 'an 'at."

"Really?" I crossed my arms again. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Now quit askin' questions 'fore I throw ya over this bridge." He said making me giggle.

* * *

It took quite a long time, but eventually we got there and my brother was right, this was way better than an amusement park! It was a water park! It was called Sandcastle! It was such a nice day out, too. It's still pretty warm here in the northern states even though it's like September.

We broke inside and looked around. The water in the pools were dirty but we didn't care. We have been through things way worse. "We got this whole place to ourselves!" I said with glee.

"Yup. Ya said ya wanted to do somethin' fun so let's do this."

"Yeah!" I leaped.

Daryl and I grabbed inner tubes and rode on them down the slides and into the dirty water down below. It was so fun! Once we did that a couple times, we swam through the lazy river. It was pretty relaxing and made us forget about everything for a while, which was nice given the circumstance we were in. The funnest ride was probably the Dragon's Den. It was like bowl shaped and you rode on an inner tube together and spin around the whole thing for a while until we went down into the hole and down the slide again! I loved it and I think Daryl did, too! He actually laughed at one point.

"That was great!" I said once we were off the ride.

"Yeah? Better than an amusement park?"

"Hell yeah!" I jumped up. "Thank you, Daryl!" I hugged him around the waist.

He let out a little laugh. "Of course, sweet thang." He patted my head. "I just like seein' ya happy." I smiled up at him. "So, what do ya say, wanna check out the body slides over there?" He pointed up high. I looked to where he was pointing, the slides were really high. I got a nervous feeling.

"I don't know." I said. "They really big."

"It'll be fine." He grabbed my hand. "Come on." We headed in the direction of the big slides. There were a bunch of stairs we had to climb to get up there. My knee started to bother me after some time. And I left my brace down below in my bag so it wouldn't get wet. I tried to suck it up but at one point I let out a whimper. "Want me to carry ya?" My brother asked.

"You cain't. It's too much work."

"Sissy." He gave me a look. "I'll be fine. Come on, get on my back."

"…well, okay. If ya really want me to." I jumped onto his back and he carried me the rest of the way. I have to admit, it did feel way better.

We finally got to the top and I let Daryl rest a minute before doing anything. I looked out over the tall slide. The stand seemed to shake a little while we were on it. "Whoa." I said. "I don't like that."

My brother let out a little laugh. "Then ya better hurry up and go before this thang collapses."

"Don't say that!"

"It might." Daryl jumped and it shook some more.

"Daryl!" I yelled. "Don't do that!"

"All right. Then go."

"Ain't ya comin' with me?"

"We gotta go separately."

"Oh." I looked down over the slide at the ground and swallowed hard. "You can go first."

"Nah, you go."

"No, you."

"Le, I want you to go first. I can watch ya."

"Why do _I_ have to go first." I pouted.

"Cuz I said so."

"So?"

"So, you'll do what I say. I wiped yer ass."

"Ya cain't hold somethin' against me that happened when I was a kid." I said annoyed.

"Yeah, but you was nasty." My brother chuckled. "I got tons 'a stories to tell yer fiancé." He cleared his throat. "This one time, you got explosive diarrhea and tried to take care 'a yerself only that the toilet paper slid all the way up and ya smeared shit up yer back." He laughed. "You was cryin' fer me to come help ya."

"Daryl, stop!" I scowled at him. "And don't ya ever tell no one that. I'll kill ya!"

My brother laughed. "Look, are ya gonna go or not? Stop bein' such a baby."

I looked down again and gulped. "Yeah, I'm goin'. Watch me, okay?" He nodded. I nervously sat down on the slide. "Well, here goes." I positioned myself then pushed myself down the slide. "Ah!" I screamed. I felt the wind rushing through me. It was so fun! It was such a rush! I reached the bottom quickly and got the worst wedgie ever. I quickly pulled it out and stood up. "Did ya see that?" I yelled and jumped up and down excitedly. "Huh, did ya?"

"Yeah, I did!" Daryl yelled down to me.

"It's really fun, Daryl! You gotta go now!"

"I am, I am!" He yelled down. I watched him, he was about to sit down on the slide but stopped and looked down at me. "Le!" He screamed.

"Huh?" I was confused. Just then, I felt someone grab me from behind. I tried to scream but they had their hand over my mouth.

"Let 'er go!" My brother yelled down. "If you hurt her, I swear I'll kill ya!"

"You might get her back." Th guy said and laughed evilly. He lifted me and carried me away. I struggled to get free but he was way stronger.

He took me into a nearby shack place and pushed me inside. There were a bunch of other guys in there. I looked around and grew frantic. They all grinned evilly at me as they stepped closer. I was terrified. _What am I gonna do? Daryl PLEASE come find me!_


	16. Mr Man

I sat in a corner by the door with my hands tied behind my back. I kept my eyes on that door hoping that Daryl would come to my rescue, so far no good. Two guys were sent out a little bit ago to go find my brother and "take care" of him as they said. He better be okay.

"Don't worry, Darlin'." One of the guys said and came over to me. "Just be good and we won't hurt ya." He grinned at me and touched the side of my face so I spit at him. He jumped back and wiped his face off then gave me a look of shock. "Why, you little—" He slapped me hard across the face. It hurt but I didn't let it get to me. He bent over and got really close to my face. "I sure can't wait to have my way with you." He said then smiled evilly. I grimaced then shivered once he walked away.

"Where's Johnny and Mark?" Another guy asked. "They've been gone a long time, I think it's about time someone went to look for them."

"No. They're fine." The man that kidnapped me said. "We just have to wait." There was the sound of gunshots outside somewhere. "Guess they found him." He smiled. My eyes widened. If they hurt my brother I— My thoughts were interrupted by a weird noise outside the door. "Dom, go check it out." The guy who kidnapped me said to another guy. He held his gun up and slowly walked over to the door. He looked around outside then came back in.

"I'on see nothin'." He said stupidly and shrugged. Just then, somebody came up behind him and slit his throat then threw something inside that filled the room with smoke. It happened so fast I didn't even get a chance to see that it was Daryl. I covered my mouth and coughed, there was gunshots coming from everywhere.

"Let's go, Le!" I heard my brother's voice. I looked up but could barely see him. He helped me up and we ran out. We ran down the hillside into the woods and onto the shore of the river.

"How'd ya do that?" I asked my brother. "How'd ya find me? Where'd ya get the smoke bombs?"

"I found 'em." Was all he said. "Come on, let's go!" We kept running until we reached where the bridge was. We stopped and rested for a minute underneath it. I leaned up against the brick panting. "Are you okay?" Daryl asked me.

"I thank so." I said quickly still panting. "Are you?"

"Yeah." He looked down guiltily. I gave him a confused look. "I'm sorry this happened. I just wanted ya to have a nice time fer once."

I gave him a sideways smile. "I did. I had a great time." I said excitedly. I knew you'd come fer me!" I suddenly looked at my leg. "But…we left our bags back there."

"Yeah, so?"

"…my brace was in there." I gave him a nervous look.

He paused for a minute and looked down at my knee. "Damn it!"

"It's okay."

"It ain't okay!"

"Daryl! I don't need it no more!"

"Like hell ya don't! What if somethin' happend to ya? Huh?"

I inhaled deeply. "Well, looks like I'm just gonna have to do without." My brother was about to say something else but we heard a noise in the bushes.

"We'll talk later." He said. "Come on, we gotta go find shelter fer the night." He put his hand on my shoulder and rushed me out of there.

* * *

Back on the road where we were before we went to the water park, there was a shopping center so I was able to find some dry clothes and get out of those gross wet ones. I felt so much better.

We were able to find some food, too. I filled my new bag with needs. While I was trying to get a jar of jelly off the top shelf, a walker attacked me. I fell backwards onto the hard floor, it hurt pretty bad but I killed the walker and got up before Daryl saw a thing. I don't need him to be more worried. He was being more overprotective than normal. Probably because I just got kidnapped. He kept asking me if I was all right like every five minutes. It was starting to get on my nerves.

"I'm ready when you are." My brother said to me.

"Yeah, let's go."

"Find anythang good?" He asked with his hands on my shoulders.

I shrugged. "Usual stuff. Canned and jarred shit."

He sighed. "Yeah, me too."

"It's somethin', though, ya know?"

"Yeah."

* * *

We walked up a big hill and passed a few more stores. We didn't waste our time checking inside because they looked pretty empty, not much supplies inside. We passed a house, too, but Daryl didn't want to stay there. We saw walkers inside. I told him we could take them, but he said he didn't want to risk anything. He's just being overprotective of me like I said.

We ended up back in the woods. I was not okay with that, I wanted to sleep in an actual bed tonight. I wasn't feeling too great after what just happened, plus, I would feel safer being inside than outside right now. Besides, it looks like it's going to storm at some point.

"We can set up camp right here." Daryl said.

"No, Daryl! I don't wanna stay in the woods tonight!" I said desperately. "Please, let's just find a house."

My brother sighed and and bent down on one knee in front of me. "Le…" He trailed off. Suddenly, we heard a gunshot. Daryl was on his feet in a second and pushed me behind him.

"Drop your weapons!" A familiar voice said. The guy that kidnapped me and three other guys emerged. They all held us up. My brother stared at them angrily breathing through his nose. He started putting his gun down and nodded to me to put my down, too. I obliged. Two guys came over and took our weapons. I nervously stood close to my brother.

"Now…" the guy continued, "feel pretty stupid, don't ya?"

"What the hell do ya want from us?" Daryl snapped.

The guy looked taken aback and held his arms out. "You killed a lot of my guys when you barged in our hut guns ablazing."

"That's cuz ya took my baby sister, you motherfucker!"

The man put his head back and laughed. "Yeah." He nodded. "It's been a while since we seen a woman." He laughed. I cringed. The man was sick. I looked up at Daryl and I swear if he could glare any harder he'd shoot fire out of his eyes.

"Yeah, ya ruined everything." The guy said. "Still…we knew we'd find you. We wanted our weapons back first. So, here's what happens now…We're gonna have the girl, each of us, and make you watch." I breathed nervously and held onto to my brother. "Then, we'll kill you for killing our men then we'll be even." He smiled.

Everything seemed to just stop for a moment. I breathed heavily waiting for them to make their first move. Right now, it was like we were having a stare down.

"Get her!" The man yelled. Two men came over to me with their guns up.

"No!" Daryl yelled with his arm on me.

"Don't make us kill her now!" One of them said.

Daryl just starred angrily at the man. The other guy grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Daryl before he could even do anything. He took me over to a tree and slammed me against it. I struggled to get away but they were way stronger than me. "Daryl! Daryl!" I cried.

"He can't help you now." One of them laughed in my ear. I heard a loud clap of thunder just then. I had an immature thought that lighting would strike these men and they would all die so we could get away. But…I know things never workout like that. I heard my brother getting beat up by the two guys.

"No!" I yelled. The guy pushed me against the tree again. "Don't worry. We'll take care of you." He quickly pulled my pants down and ripped them off of me. I screamed. "No! Please!" I was crying now. _Please, God!_ I silently prayed. _Please, don't let this happen to me again, please!_ It thundered and lightninged some more then rain started pouring down. I felt the man reach down and grabbed the waistband of my underwear, I just tightly closed my eyes and waited for the worst…

Suddenly, I heard two gunshots, I looked back as did everyone else. Lightning stuck and I could see there was someone standing there holding a gun, they had their face covered. I looked down and noticed the two dead bodies of the guys. There were two left now. Before anyone could do anything, the mystery person turned and ran off. My brother took his chances and grabbed the other man's gun, shot him then quickly shot the man that was going to rape me.

The rain was coming down very hard by now, we heard moans as walkers were coming out from the woods. "We gotta go!" My brother yelled to me over the noise. We grabbed their weapons and our bags. The man threw my pants somewhere and I couldn't find them in the dark. "Le, let's go!"

"I cain't find my pants!"

"Leann!"

I looked over at the herd of walkers coming closer. "Oh." I said nervously then ran. Daryl and I ran out of the woods and down the street in the storm. We didn't stop running until we found a small neighborhood. We picked the first house that looked all right and went inside. We checked it thoroughly, there was nothing or nobody threatening inside.

I sat on the couch in the dark with a blanket wrapped around me as I shivered. Daryl and I haven't spoken yet. I felt…weird. Not like scared or sad, just…nothing. I was so close to getting raped. And that person! Whoever they were, they saved us. I wish he wouldn't have taken off like he did. We didn't even get to thank him.

"You all right?" My brother asked me. I did not reply to him. I laid down on the couch so I could get more comfortable. I couldn't stop thinking about what almost happened. Why does all this bad stuff keep happening to us?

I must have laid there for hours with thoughts going through my head before I finally fell asleep. I can't do this shit no more.

* * *

I opened my eyes and it was light out. I felt like I didn't sleep at all, even though I know I did. I just laid there for a while before actually getting up. I saw that Daryl wasn't in the chair he was in when I went to sleep. It was too quiet in the house, but he wouldn't leave without telling me, would he?

My thoughts were halted when I heard footsteps and my brother walked into the dining room from the kitchen holding a pan. He noticed me sitting up. "Hey, baby." He said spooning something onto two plates. I got up and walked over to him. "I made us some corn beef hash."

"I ain't hungry." I said quietly.

"But ya gotta eat."

I sighed. "I guess." I sat there tiredly and slowly ate my food. I felt so weird. It was like my mind was not thinking clearly and I didn't feel like myself at all. It was like I was on autopilot: spoon pick up food, lift spoon to mouth, open wide, chew slowly, swallow, repeat until plate empty. I wasn't thinking about anything else. When I was done, I just sat there.

"Leann, are ya okay?" My brother asked me.

"I don't know." Was all I said. I could see Daryl giving me a concerned look, but I didn't care. He was silent for a moment.

"…why don't ya go upstairs and see if ya can find some pants or somethin'?"

"Okay." I said without thinking and got up. I actually didn't even care that I still didn't have pants. After all, it was just us here and besides, Daryl saw me last night.

I dug around in the closets in the bedrooms upstairs. The first room I checked in had clothes that were way too big. The next was all too small. I finally went to the third bedroom and found a pair of jeans that just fit me. I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't even know who I was anymore. I looked down at my legs. I hate jeans…

* * *

I pretty much moped around the rest of the day. Daryl kept trying to get me to talk, but I wouldn't say more than three words. He kept giving me glances, I know he wanted to say something to me but probably didn't want to push me. I know he's just concerned for me. If I was myself right now, I would probably feel guilty but that's just it. I wasn't myself. At all. I actually think I know what's bothering me, but I can't even dare bring myself to say it…

"Who do you thank that person was?" I finally said to my brother. I guess my question caught him off guard because he just looked at me for a minute.

"I don't know." He finally replied. "But I ain't sure he did it outta the kindness of his heart."

"How do ya know? And we don't know it was a 'he'."

"Yeah, well…cuz _they_ ran off instead of killin' the other two guys." He said roughly.

"Maybe they was scared."

"They should be." He squinted at me. I nervously rang my hands together. I don't know why he feels that way. We basically owe that person ours lives. "All right, Leann." Daryl said. "I wanna know what's goin' on with ya. Yer actin' mighty strange." I just shrugged. "Is it cuz 'a what happened with them guys?" I nervously rubbed my arm then nodded. My brother sighed then walked over to me where I was laying on the couch and sat down. I was about to sit up so he could have more room but he stopped me and lifted my legs and put them on his lap. "It's okay." He rubbed my leg. "Yer okay. I told ya I wouldn't let nothin' happen to ya."

I gave him a stupid look. "Daryl…if it weren't fer that person, you'd be dead right now. And I'd be raped and left alone to die."

He stared at me. I couldn't read his expression. I didn't know if he was going to cry or punch me in the face. "What are ya sayin'?" He finally said. "That I cain't protect ya no more?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You've kept me safe a long time, but…there was nothin' ya could do this time. I mean…do ya not see that?" I put my head down because I didn't want to look at him anymore with the look he was giving me. "It could happen again."

"No, it's not." Daryl finally said shaking his head. "That's never happenin' again cuz you ain't goin' nowhere ever again. Yer glued to my side from now on…or if we find a safe place again, yer stayin' home while I'll go out. It'll be like yer grounded fer life."

I gave him a disbelieving look and pulled my legs up sitting up. "Yer punishin' me fer somethin' someone else did?"

"I ain't punishin' ya at all! I was just usin' that as an example."

"Sure sounds like yer punishin' me." I snapped.

"I'm done with this conversion, Leann."

"Oh, so I don't even get a say or anythang?"

"You were almost raped!" Daryl yelled almost making me jump.

"Yeah, I know. I was there." I said angrily. "I'd rather be killed than be raped."

He was glaring at me. I knew I was pushing him and pissing him off, but I didn't care. He was pissing me off, too. We sat there staring at each other. My brother can be pretty scary at times but I wasn't backing down. He was acting ridiculous. He couldn't protect me this time, I wasn't blaming him, that could happen to anyone. It just made me mad that he wouldn't admit it. I always looked up to him and he was always my hero, but for once in my life…my brother didn't look like superman to me. And that's what was really bothering me.

* * *

Daryl and I hadn't said a word to each other since our little argument. And it was weird because no one really yelled or anything like we usually do when we argue. Daryl usually hollers at me and I end up feeling guilty like I did something wrong. But that wasn't the case this time. It was like we had a "disagreement" as opposed to an "argument." There was no name calling, either. We had an adult conversation. I feel like that's why things feel so weird now. We didn't feel anger towards each other; well at least I didn't, but things just felt…awkward. And, so, neither of us were talking.

I sat on the floor poking at the fire in the fireplace with the poke while Daryl sat at the dining table messing with the weapons we got from those guys.

Suddenly, we heard a noise like someone was outside and we shared a look. My brother jumped up grabbing his crossbow. I followed and pulled out my gun. "No." He whispered. "Just stay back."

"No!" I said through gritted teeth. He glared at me but we heard the noise again. Daryl looked out the window, there was a man on the porch. He quickly opened the door with his gun up.

"What do ya want?" He yelled.

"Whoa! Whoa! Don't shoot!" The man said with his hands up. "Just take it easy, okay?"

"Why should we?" I pointed my gun at him.

"I'm not a threat. I was there before! I saw you! I helped you guys!"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That was you?"

He nodded. Daryl put his crossbow down. "Why?" He asked the man. I put my gun down as well.

The man shrugged. "I saw people that needed help…so, I helped." He looked down at me and smiled. "And besides, I love children."

I stared at the man for a minute. Then, Daryl and I shared a look.


	17. Liar Liar Pants On Fire

My brother and the man were sitting at the dining table. I just finished making him a cup of tea and brought it into to him. "Why'd ya run off?" Daryl asked him. I was about to sit next to the guy, but my brother stopped me by wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me down onto his lap. I almost rolled my eyes, I swear his overprotectiveness is getting worse.

"I didn't want to stick around. After all, I don't really know you." The man said taking a sip of his tea. "And you looked like pretty capable people. I figured I'd get out of your way." He smiled at me. I just gave him a strange look. We were all silent for a while. It was me who broke the silence.

"Oh, I'm Leann, by the way, but you can call me Le. This is my brother, Daryl." I said. The man gave us a nod and smiled at me again but didn't say anything. "And…you are?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Eddie Manns." He stated. "The children like to call me Eddie Bear." He smiled at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"You got kids?" Daryl asked him.

"Uh, no. Just me." He kept that smile on his face.

"Did ya _work_ with kids before this?" I asked him.

"Sort of." He replied. We just gave him a weird look waiting for him to continue. "Photographer." He said. "Family portraits and such." I just nodded. There was another brief pause.

"Well…you can stay with us I guess, we gotta spare room." Daryl said. "But just know this…if you try anythang, if ya hurt my baby sister…I will kill ya in a second."

"Well…" Eddie smiled nervously. "I would never. As I said, I love kids."

"Yeah, I ain't really a kid, though, I'm fifteen."

"I see. Well, we'll be greats friends anyway."

I looked at him sideways and squinted. "All right. But I ain't callin' ya Eddie Bear. I'll call ya Mr. Man, though. I kinda like that." I hopped off my brother's lap and went over to the fireplace and sat down.

"I take it you two are close." Mr. Man said.

"Yeah, that's my baby." Daryl answered him. I smirked.

"I completely understand." He nodded.

"Do ya?" My brother narrowed his eyes at him.

Mr. Man was hesitant. "…yes, I do." He nodded. For once, his smile faded. He must have lost someone close to him. I looked down at the fire.

"Well, I was actually on my way somewhere." Mr. Man said. "I'm looking for something important."

"How important?" Daryl asked him.

"Very. It's medical related."

"We could go fer ya!" I jumped up. Daryl gave me a weird look. "I mean…it's the least we could do fer ya savin' us and all."

"Oh no, I couldn't. I—

"Just let us. It'll be fine." I said to him then turned to my brother. "Okay, Daryl?" He looked at me for a moment then finally nodded.

"Yeah, yer right, Sissy. Let's help 'im." Daryl then looked to Mr. Man. "What did ya say you was lookin' fer?"

"Uh, well, I didn't but it's…an inhaler."

"You got asthma?"

"Well, no. I have bad lungs. It helps." He smiled nervously.

"All right, well…" Daryl got up. "Best not to waste no more time."

"It's really no trouble. I can just go."

"No, it's fine." I reassured him.

Mr. Man still seemed reluctant. "…well, okay, but at least let me come with you."

"Sure." Daryl nodded.

"Great." He smiled. "I have a car a few houses down from here."

"Cool. I'll drive." Daryl said.

* * *

The three us traveled to the closest pharmacy we could find. We were pretty much silent the whole way there. I had to sit in the back, I didn't like it. I had gotten used to sitting in the front seat. The backseat just bothers me for some reason.

"It shouldn't be too much farther ahead." Mr. Man said looking at a map. "I think the next turn." My brother turned down the road Mr. Man told him to when it was time. He parked the car right in front of the store and we got out. Daryl put his arm across my shoulders and we walked in together.

The store seemed clear. "Okay." My brother said. "I'm gonna look for some other supplies if you wanna check the pharmacy."

"Sure." Mr. Man nodded.

"I'll go with you." I said to him.

"Wait." Daryl gave me a wary look.

I looked from my brother to Mr. Man and back again. "Don't worry, Daryl. I'll be fine. If he tries anythang, I'll shoot 'im in the face." My brother just nodded at me. I turned and headed in the direction of the pharmacy with Mr. Man behind me.

I was looking around for different medications, anything that would be useful to us. "You and your brother are cute." Mr. Man said causing me to give him the weirdest look. "I just mean…your relationship. I didn't have a very good relationship with my siblings."

"Oh." Was all I said. I went to rummaging around. Just then, I heard Mr. Man humming a familiar tune, but had to think a minute. "Hey!" I said excitedly. "That's Foo Fighters!"

"Hm. Yes. You like?" He smiled at me.

"Uh, try more like love!" I threw my hands up and walked a little closer to him. "They's my favorite band!…well, _was_ my favorite."

"Me too." He nodded. "And they're so good in concert. You ever been?"

My face fell. "Oh, no. I never been to a concert before in my life. I was only thirteen when the world broke down."

"That's okay. Concerts aren't everything." He grabbed something and put it into his bag. I didn't see what it was. "And I have to say, I don't really think the world is broke down."

I gave him a weird look. "Why do ya say that?"

He was silent for a moment while rummaging through medicines. "Well, put it this way…who did you have before this?"

I blinked at him. "I guess just my brother."

"Okay. Well, you still got him." He smiled.

I thought about what he just said. "Yeah, that's true. But what about you? I mean…yer alone."

"I kind of always was."

"Oh." I looked away then back at him. "You ain't ever had a family?"

"I did but they disowned me because they didn't approve of my work." He nodded. "So, yeah. Yup, I was alone for a long time."

"Oh, sorry." I looked down.

"I'm not." He looked over at me and smiled. "It gave me a chance to really find myself."

I didn't quite know what he meant by that, but he seemed happy about it so I just smiled back at him and let it go.

"Well, I got what I needed." Mr. Man said after a while. "Shall we go find your brother?"

"Yeah, sure." I smiled. He put his arm across my shoulders like Daryl did earlier. His thumb rubbed my shoulder. I don't really like to be touched unless it's someone close to me, but for some reason, that didn't bother me.

We found Daryl over in the electronics section. He looked up when he saw us then gave Mr. Man a weird look once he took notice to his arm on me. He walked closer to us. "Everythang go okay?" He asked pulling me to him.

"Yeah." I replied with a smile. "We're ready when you are."

He nodded. "Okay." He moved me on the opposite side so I was away from Mr. Man. Then the three us of walked back to the car together.

* * *

The ride home was different from the ride there. Mr. Man and I talked the whole time, mainly about bands that we liked. It was so weird! Every time I said I liked a certain band or song, he agreed with me! We have so much in common. He's a pretty cool guy. Daryl, however, didn't say a word the whole time.

"I can sang pretty good." I said happily. "Ain't that right, Daryl?"

"Hm. Yeah." My brother said. That was the first time he spoke.

"I sang Foo Fighters songs all the time!"

"Well, perhaps you would like to sing for me sometime?" Mr. Man asked. "I'd love to hear."

"Sure!" I said excitedly. "I won a $500 sanging contest once by sanging Run!"

"Really? That's amazing."

"What contest you ever won?" Daryl snapped.

"That time I ran away into the city, remember? I found a club or somethin' that had karaoke nights. I sang and won! A bunch of times actually!"

"What happened to all that money then?"

"Someone stole it."

My brother was quiet for a minute. "Ya never told me that."

"Oh, I didn't? Must 'a slipped my mind."

"That was so dangerous when ya did that, ya know?"

"I was fine."

"Yeah, but ya coulda got hurt or worse…"

"Well, I didn't." I smiled. "All's good." I leaned back in my seat.

"I hope you don't runaway now?" Mr. Man finally spoke.

"Uh…no." I said. His question caught me off guard.

"Nah, she wouldn't do that now. She knows not to cuz she'd get 'er backside whipped." Daryl said. My face flushed. Mr. Man looked back at me and smiled. That made my embarrassment worse.

"He's just…jokin', right Daryl?"

"I ain't jokin'." Daryl said and almost laughed. "Ya should know that by now." My face was probably redder than a tomato. I shouldn't have said anything.

* * *

When we got back to the house, I quickly hopped out but Daryl still caught me anyway. He put his hand on my shoulder but I smacked it away and gave him a dirty look. "What's yer problem?" He asked me.

"You know what!" I yell-whispered. "Why do ya always gotta embarrass me?" I crossed my arms angrily. My brother smirked at me.

"Oh, that's why yer mad." He slung his crossbow over his shoulder. "I'll embarrass ya real good." He suddenly grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder.

"Daryl!" I said angrily. He carried me up the stairs and into the house. Mr. Man followed behind with that stupid grin on his face. Daryl put his crossbow and our bags down but not me yet.

"I really appreciate you two helping me out today." Mr. Man said. "And of course the hospitality."

"It's no problem." My brother said.

"Put. Me. Down!" I said. Daryl finally set me on my feet.

"Geez, someone's cranky today." He said. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." I admitted.

"Neither did I."

"Yeah, but yer used to it."

"If yer tired, why don't you lay down then?" Mr. Man said.

"I was gonna say that." Daryl said roughly and looked at Mr. Man for a second.

"I'm fine." I said. "I'll just chill fer a bit." I went over and laid on the couch.

"Scoot." Daryl came over to me and said. I switched positions and moved down. He sat where I was laying my head. I was about to lay down at the other end but he grabbed me and laid my head on his lap. I honestly didn't care, I just laid there. I could see Mr. Man in one of the chairs. I turned over and faced the couch.

Things were quiet for a while. "She's a sweetheart." Mr. Man said.

"Yeah." My brother said and started petting my hair. "She's a good girl." They must think I'm asleep. I'm just going to go along with it.

"Is she really fifteen? She looks younger than that?"

"Yeah, she'll be sixteen in a few months actually. She does look younger, though. She always did."

I was getting a little angry, but still didn't say anything.

"You know, I, uh…I had a twelve year old daughter named Lisa." Mr. Man said. _What? He told me he was alone and didn't have any family._

"Really?" My brother asked.

"Yeah, she was…she was the love of my life."

"Sorry." Daryl said.

"It's okay. We had some great times Robin and I."

"Robin?" Daryl said. "I thought ya just said 'er name was Lisa."

Mr. Man was quiet for a minute. "Did I say Lisa?" He laughed. "My mistake. Lisa was the mother of my daughter. We weren't married."

"Oh, okay." Daryl said.

"Yeah, we were still a pretty happy family, though. I never wanted to leave them. Hated being alone."

"I don't thank anyone wants to be alone."

"Very true." He sighed. "I really miss them at times. Le kinda reminds of my Robin. That's why I've come to like her so quickly."

Daryl was quiet for a moment. "I understand."

"Cherish her. You never know what you have until it's gone."

"Of course." Daryl said continuing to pet me. "Sorry, about yer family."

Their conversation was super weird just now. Mr. Man told me something earlier and just told my brother something completely different. I wonder what's up with that? Why'd he lie? And who'd he even lie to? Was he telling the truth before? Was he really alone or did he really have a daughter? He _seemed_ like he was being honest when he told me all that. Maybe he just didn't want to talk about it at the time? But he said he liked being alone because he was able to find himself. This doesn't make sense. And what with he getting his girlfriend and his daughter's names mixed up? This is all just too weird.

"So, where are you folks from anyway?"

"Atlanta."

"Atlanta, Georgia? Wow, you've come a long way." Mr. Man said.

"What about you?"

"I've lived here my whole life. Well…I moved around a bit, but I never left PA. There was never much to do, but I don't know. They say if you move away, you always come back."

"Never heard that one." Daryl said. "But we never been outta Georgia before this."

"You like the heat?"

"Sometimes. This one does." Daryl put his hand on me. I almost giggled. "Thank I'm gonna take 'er upstairs." He lifted me.

"I could take her." Mr. Man said quickly. There was a brief pause. "I just, uh…thought I could be of some help."

"…it's okay. I got it." Daryl lifted me and carried me up the stairs. Thank God. That would have been so weird if he let that guy carry me.

Daryl laid me on the bed. I groggily reached up and hugged him, he hugged me back and kissed my forehead. "Get some sleep, okay?"

"Yeah." I said quietly and rolled over.

It took me a while to fall asleep because I kept thinking about that conversation between my brother and Mr. Man. Eventually though, I just decided to let it go and I finally fell asleep.


	18. Jealous

**This chapter reveals a secret about Leann** **that she did not know. And something very cringey. But not as cringey as the next one! ;)**

* * *

"We should go to my house." Mr. Man said. "Well, the house I was staying at. It's just down the street."

"Why?" My brother asked him giving him a weird look.

"It's safer. Fenced in. Help keeps the dead ones away."

Daryl looked down at me and I looked back up at him. He put his hand on my head. "All right."

I packed my stuff in my bag. I didn't really care where we went, as long as I had a roof over my head and my brother by my side.

The three of us walked down the road to the house Mr. Man was talking about. Daryl had his arm around me. We arrived at the house shortly after, we checked inside just to be safe. There were three bedrooms. I absentmindedly walked into the one in the middle. It had bunk beds and there was a giant stuffed animal dog in the corner. I think I want this room.

"It suits you." Mr. Man said from behind me. I spun around. "Good enough space for a girl your size." He walked more into the room and looked out the window. "Perhaps we can go look for some supplies later?"

"Um…I don't thank so." I turned away.

"Something wrong?"

I hesitated. "…just…why'd you lie?" He gave me a surprised look. "I heard ya last night. Ya told my brother ya had a daughter named Robin, but ya told me you was alone. Why'd ya do that?"

He looked nervous and like he was trying to think of something to say. "I just…don't worry about it." He snapped and walked out of the room. I stood there dumbfounded. I was so confused. Did I make him mad? Maybe he just didn't like talking about his daughter? I began to feel guilty. I hope he's not mad at me.

* * *

"Mr. Man!" I called as I walked down the stairs to the basement. "Mr. Man?" He emerged from somewhere with a startled look on his face. "Sorry." I said. "I didn't mean to scare ya." I walked the rest of the way down and looked around, the basement was kind of creepy. I shivered. "So, uh…I'm sorry about this mornin'. I didn't mean to be pushy and upset ya. You don't have to talk about yer family if ya don't wanna."

"Hey, it's okay, sweetheart." He lifted me and sat me on a table. I thought it was kind of strange, he doesn't know me that well and I don't really like being lifted by anyone other than Daryl. "I just didn't want to upset _you._ I had a pretty sad life. Not something I want to dirty your mind with." He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "You remind me of her." He looked down sadly and backed away.

"It's okay." I smiled. "I understand." He smiled back at me.

* * *

"Okay, so here's how you play." Mr. Man told me after dealing out the cards. "The numbers go in order and you wanna try to stay with it. If you don't have the next number you can lie, but the other person can call it if they think you're lying. Then, you have to pick up the whole deck." He finished. "But, see, it's better if you have more people."

"Wanna play with us, Daryl?" I asked my brother who was looking out the window not really paying attention to anything.

"Nah, I'm good, baby." He replied without looking at me. Disappointed, I turned my attention back to the game.

We played a few rounds, it was really fun! "I really like this game!" I giggled.

"I told ya it was fun." Mr. Man smiled. "But, you know, I said it's better with more people."

"Yeah, I wish my brother would play."

"Would you like to play again?"

"Yes! I mean…yes, please."

"All right." He shuffled the decks and dealt out the cards. We played another round, I called bullshit on him and was right so he had to pick up the whole deck. I laughed loudly. I absentmindedly looked over and saw my brother staring at me. I thought it was a little odd, but just shrugged it off and went back to the game.

"You won again." Mr. Man said.

"It's a good game."

"Hey, Le." Daryl said walking over. "Ya wanna play some poker with me?"

"No, thanks." I declined him. "I'm playin' Bullshit with Mr. Man."

"Oh." My brother said. "Okay."

"You should play with us." I said.

"No, I'm just gonna, uh…take a walk." Daryl said quickly and walked towards the door.

"In the middle of the night?" Mr. Man asked him.

"It's okay." I waved him off. "He does it all the time. He'll be fine."

"Okay." Mr. Man said and let out a small laugh.

"I don't go out all the time." Daryl said to me.

"Ya do it enough." I said while shuffling the cards. My brother gave me a weird look and turned back to the door. He's acting strange. I wonder if something is wrong?

"I won't be long." He finally said opening the door. "And when I get back, ya better be in bed, Le." He pointed at me.

"I ain't a baby." I snapped. Daryl looked like he was about to say something but Mr. Man spoke first.

"Ya gotta listen to your big brother, Leann. He's knows what's best for you and," he checked his watch, "it is pretty late. You'll need you're rest for the next day." He smiled at me. I thought about what he said and put my head down.

"Yeah, yer right."

"Good girl." Mr. Man said. I heard my brother snort then walk out the door. There's definitely something bothering him.

Mr. Man and I played a few more card games then I went up to bed. "Ain't ya comin', too?" I asked him stopping on my way up the stairs.

"No, I'm gonna wait for your brother to get home."

"Oh, then I'll wait with ya." I started walking back down the stairs.

"No, honey. You go on to bed. I'll be all right." He smiled. "Besides, Daryl wants you in bed when he gets back."

I stood there thinking for a minute then sighed. "Okay." I climbed up the stairs and into my room. I took my boots off then my pants and got into bed. I slept on the bottom bunk. I never liked the top bunk, I don't know why. I pulled the covers up and got comfortable then soon fell asleep.

I awoke soon after, to voices downstairs. I sat up rubbing the sleep from my eyes and climbed out of bed. I could hear my brother and Mr. Man talking. I wonder what they are talking about?

I quietly walked over and sat on the steps listening to their conversation. "I wanted to thank you." My brother said. "She was laughin' and havin' fun. That's somethin' I don't see from 'er very often no more." I looked down, that made me feel bad for Daryl.

"It's really no trouble."

There was a brief silence. "How'd ya do that earlier? Ya told 'er to go to bed and there was no argument. She just listened."

"I'm just good with kids." Mr. Man said. "I had a lot of practice. They always liked me and I always liked them." I realized I could smell cigarettes and figured my brother was smoking. Maybe Mr. Man, too.

"Yeah, but…Le is…special." Daryl said.

"All kids are special, Daryl."

"No, but I mean…she's dyslexic." I crossed my arms angrily. I hate when he tells people about my learning disability. Why do they have to know?

"Well, kids like that just need a little extra love. That's it." Mr. Man said. "And it's better not to yell. You have to be calm." He paused. "And…I'm not telling you how to raise your sister, I would never do that. I don't have the right. But…I don't think spanking is very good for children…like Le." My face flushed. Are they really talking about this?

"Its…it's just how I— _we_ was brought up." Daryl said. "We're from Northern Georgia. Everyone whooped their kids, even the older ones."

"Well…put it this way," Mr. Man started, "when you were the one getting whooped, did you like it?" My brother was silent. I didn't know what to think right then.

"I could tell." Mr. Man said.

"What?" Daryl asked him.

"That Le is special. And I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just…she has an innocence about her even at fifteen years old."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. And I hope you don't get offended for her, but I've been around a lot of children, ones with learning disabilities, too, and Le shows some signs of A.D.H.D."

My eyes widened. I remember Merle saying that.

"Oh yeah." Daryl said slowly. "Our oldest brother, Merle, thought that, too."

I put my head down sadly. Why am I like this?

"But…the thing is," my brother started, "somethin' happened to Le when she was little," my head shot up, "and she doesn't know about this so, I'd like to keep it that way." He said roughly.

Now I was really interested. I was all ears.

"Okay." Mr. Man said.

Daryl cleared his throat. "When Le was two or three, her mom…had some coke, her mom and our dad used and drank, and she left some out…Le got into it…she had to go the hospital."

I gasped and my eyes were bugging out. _WHAT?! Why wasn't I ever told this?_

"Oh my." Mr. Man said. "That's terrible. I'm guessing it affected her brain growth?"

"Yeah. That's why she…acts a little younger than you'd thank and has some trouble understandin' thangs."

There was a brief silence. I was feeling very sad and betrayed. So, that's why I'm so stupid.

"Well," Mr. Man started, "you were blessed to have her in your life. Always remember that. And you are very good with her. I've never seen siblings as close as the both of you."

"Yeah." Daryl said. Another silence. "Thank Imma go to bed. "I'm gonna check on Le." I silently gasped and quickly but quietly ran to my room and got back in bed.

I heard my brother climbing the stairs and pretended to be asleep. I was facing the wall so I couldn't see, but his footsteps stopped just outside the door. I was expecting him to come in but he didn't. I was disappointed, I kind of wanted to hug him. I felt bad after hearing what was said during their conversation. I heard the footsteps finally walk away.

I rolled over and just laid there. I had all these thoughts running through my head. I should be more obedient to my brother. I know I said it before, but I didn't exactly go along with it. I should really try, though. He has enough worries as it is. And Mr. Man is right, he knows what's best for me. I still want to ask him about my "incident" though. I have to wait for the right time.

I sighed and switched positions again. It took me a while to get comfortable but when I finally did, I fell asleep.

* * *

"Le. Le, wake up." Someone was shaking me. I opened my eyes, it was Mr. Man. "Hey." He smiled. "I thought we could do something nice for big brother and make him some breakfast. I've got pancake mix."

"Okay." I smiled at him. "Just gimme a minute to get ready."

"All right." He smiled and tapped my nose. "I'll see you down there."

After he left, I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. I pulled my hair back in the center so it wouldn't be in the way then headed downstairs.

Mr. Man and I made pancakes together. While I was mixing up the the batter, I mixed it too hard and got a little of it on him. I covered my mouth. "I'm so sorry." I apologized to him. "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, Leann." All of a sudden he dipped his finger in the batter and smeared it on my face. We laughed together.

We sat the remainder of the pancakes on the table. "You want to go wake up your brother now?" He asked.

"Okay." I took a few steps and saw Daryl already on his way in here. "Oh, we don't have to. Here he comes." I smiled. "We made pancakes!" I said to him once he got closer.

"I see that." My brother said. "Why didn't ya wake me up?"

"Well, I was goin' to but…I thought I'd wait till breakfast was ready." I smiled up at him.

"All right. Well, next time wake me up." Daryl said. He was looking at me funny. "What's on yer face?"

I touched my cheek. "Oh, that's pancake batter." My brother snorted and wiped my face with a napkin. I giggled.

"Well, let's eat." Mr. Man smiled.

"Yeah!" I sat down right where I was standing. My brother and Mr. Man sat across from each other.

We ate and made small talk. Daryl kept giving me and Mr. Man weird looks. Why does he keep acting like that with us? It's almost as if he doesn't want us together.

"After yer done eatin', wanna go huntin' with me, Sissy?"

"No, that's okay." I said with a mouthful of food. "Mr. Man and I are gonna go look fer supplies, right Mr. Man?"

He smiled. "Only if it's all right with your brother."

"Oh." Daryl said. "Okay."

"I like your hair like that, Leann." Mr. Man said randomly while we were eating. "You can see your pretty face better. I didn't even know you had blue eyes." He teased.

I smiled. "Oh, shut up, Mr. _Stupid_ Man." I giggled. He laughed with me.

"Leann! That wasn't nice!" Daryl scolded me. "Apologize."

"…I was just kiddin'."

"Don't care." He said immediately. "Apologize. Now!"

I looked down. "Sorry, Mr. Man." I said quietly.

"Look at him." My brother said and grabbed my face forcing me to look up. My face flushed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Leann." Mr. Man said. "I wasn't mad."

"Good." My brother said and let go of my face. "Now, go to yer room." I gave him a disbelieving look.

"But Daryl—

"Go!" He snapped. I just sat there and stared at him, he gave me a stern look so I decided not to push him. I sadly walked upstairs.

As soon as I got to my room, I slammed the door and the tears started pouring. I sat on the bed and cried. Why was Daryl acting like this? He pretty much just humiliated me in front of another person and what was the big deal? I was joking! Mr. Man laughed when I said it and he even told me it was okay and he wasn't mad. So, why did my brother flip out like that and treat me like a child? Was he mad at me for some reason?

I was so angry as I sat there trying to figure out what just happened. I was so mad I could spit! I could…I could break this window. The thought crossed my mind. Nah, that would just make him more mad at me.

I just sat back down and wiped my tears away. I don't know what Daryl's problem is but I know it ain't me. I didn't do nothin'!

* * *

A while later, I heard footsteps then my door opened, it was Daryl. "Hey." He said. I ignored him and turned over facing the wall. I didn't want to talk to him right now. He walked over to me and sat on the bed. "I'm sorry I yelled like that." He rubbed my back. I didn't answer him right away.

"Why'd ya flip out like that?" I snapped. "Ya knew I was only jokin' and so did he!"

"I just—

"You embarrassed me! Again!"

My brother sighed. "I know and I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me." He continued rubbing my back until I finally rolled over to face him.

"I wanna know why?"

He seemed to hesitate. "…I just been…on edge is all. I just lost my temper." He sighed. "I don't really know why, baby. But I am sorry."

I thought about what he just said. "Well, maybe next time you should chill out." I snapped. He glared at me then I giggled. I heard him make a noise through his nose then he looked straight ahead.

"Hey, kid? What's goin' on between you and that guy?"

"What do ya mean?" I gave him a questioning look.

"…yer always like together and he's…makin' ya laugh and stuff."

"He's my friend." I shrugged.

"Well, it's…kinda weird." He looked at me.

"Why?"

"Cuz he don't know ya real well." My brother narrowed his eyes.

"He likes kids." I smiled. "'Sides, he said I remind 'im of his daughter."

"Well, you ain't his daughter, yer my baby sister." Daryl snapped. I gave him a weird look then his expression softened. So, that's what's bothering him.

"Daryl…are you jealous of Mr. Man?" I gave him a smile and teased.

"No, I ain't." He said roughly. I just kept looking at him the same way. "Well…yeah, maybe a little." He looked down.

"Why would ya be jealous?"

"Cuz yer hangin' round him more than me. Yer mine." I got up and hugged him from behind.

"Ya got no reason to be jealous 'a him or anyone else fer that matter." I smiled. "You'll always be my favorite person in the whole wide world."

"I am, huh?"

"Uh huh." I nodded.

"Come sit on my lap then."

"I'm too old fer that stuff." I scrunched my nose.

"Oh okay." Daryl sighed. Then he reached around and grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap. I scowled at him, he laughed. "Sorry, I just cain't resist ya." He cradled me.

"Are ya still goin' huntin'?"

He hesitated. "…I don't know. I feel weird 'bout leavin' ya alone with him."

"Ya did last night." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but it weren't fer very long."

"We'll be fine." I said. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"I could thank of a lot 'a thangs." He glared at me. I gave him a look then he just stared at me for a long time. "Yeah, yer right." He finally said. I smiled. "But…ya gotta gimme a kiss first."

"Ew." I cringed.

"What do ya mean 'ew?'" He sounded like he was going to laugh.

"Yer ma brother." I said. "I didn't even like kissin' daddy." I grimaced.

"But I thought I was yer favorite person in the whole wide world?"

"Ya are. But…" I got up and went to the window and smirked at him.

"But…what?" He asked. "Don't make me come getcha."

"I'll go out the winda." I said with my hand on the windowsill.

"You ain't goin' nowhere." He came over to me and grabbed me. "You gimme a kiss." He said. "You gimme a kiss." I giggled and tried to get away. Eventually, he grabbed my face causing my lips to pucker and gave me a kiss then finally let go of me.

"Ew." I wiped my mouth. "Gross."

"Yeah, I fergot. I'm gross, too." He raised his eyebrows.

"Only sometimes." I said. He laughed.

"All right." Daryl said. "I'm leavin'. You be good." He pointed at me.

"Pretty sure I always am."

He let out a small laugh. "That's a good one, Le."

"I am! When am I bad?" I stood there waiting for an answer. He just looked at me.

"Yeah, yer a good girl." He nodded. "Let's keep it that way." He turned and walked out the door. I heard him leave.

I stayed in my room for a while before going back downstairs then decided to go see what Mr. Man was doing. I quietly walked down the stairs and through the living room. I could hear him breathing heavily but didn't see him. I hope he's okay.

I looked around the corner, he was sitting at the dining table. He was like panting. "Mr. Man?"

He jumped, I must have startled him. "Oh, Le! Stay there!" He stood up quickly and buckled his belt. He knocked his bag over in the process and some pictures fell out.

"Oh, are these some of yer work? Can I see 'em?" I reached for them.  
"No!" He snatched them up quickly. "These aren't for you."

I blinked in confusion. "Oh. I'll help ya pick 'em up at least." I reached for them again.

"No!" He hurriedly bent down and picked up the remaining pictures. "I said these aren't for you! Now, get away!" He yelled at me. I was confused and felt like I did something wrong. I was about to cry.

"Sorry." I said giving him a sad look. "I didn't know." I sadly walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. I sniffled.

"Hey. Hey, I'm sorry." Mr. Man came over and sat down next to me. "I'm sorry, Leann. I didn't mean to make you sad." He rubbed my arm. "I just…I'm very private about my portraits. They're—they're for my eyes only, okay?" He smiled.

I sniffled and nodded at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He smiled. "Come here. Sit on my lap."

I blinked. "No, that's okay."

"No, no. Come here. I made you sad now I have to make you feel better." He held his arms out. It almost felt weird to say no. I mean…I tried to look at his pictures and he didn't want me to. I guess I did something wrong and kind of owe him. I got up and sit on his lap. "That's my girl." He enveloped me and rested his head on top of mine. He hummed softly. I just awkwardly sat there. We stayed like that for a while.

When I assumed that was enough, I said, "Are we still goin' scavengin'?"

"No." He slowly shook his head. "We're just going to hangout here for today, okay sweetie?"

"Okay." I said quietly.

"Yeah." He looked at me and smiled. "You look tired. Why don't you get some rest?"

"I'm fine."

He smiled. "Just rest, okay?"

"No." I went to get up but he tightened his hold on me. I looked at him. "What are ya doin'? Let go 'a me!" I pushed him and got up then just stared him. He looked upset.

"I'm—I'm sorry, Leann. You just…you remind me of my daughter so much, it's insane. I didn't mean to…I just…" He trailed off and put his head in his hands. I felt really bad then. Losing a child must be awful. I should just be nice to him even if it makes me feel awkward. It will make _him_ feel better.

"No. _I'm_ sorry, Mr. Man." I swallowed hard. "I was just weirded out cuz somethin' about you reminds me of my dad and…he wasn't the nicest person." He looked up at me then. I smiled. "It's okay, though." I went over to him and sat back on his lap. He smiled at me.

"Oh, you. You're such a sweetheart." He tapped my nose. I just let him hold me and leaned my head against his chest. It wasn't as weird this time.

"So, what were you and your brother doing earlier before he left?" Mr. Man asked after some time. "I heard you laughing." I had to think about what he said.

"Oh, yeah." I said. "He wanted me to give him a kiss before he left and I didn't want to." I let out a small laugh.

"Aw, that's sweet." He smiled. "Why not?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Just cuz he's my brother, I guess."

"Aw, well…" He lifted me a little so I was sitting up and not leaning on him. "Could you give me a little kiss?"

"Sure." I smiled. I kissed him on the cheek.

"Aw, you're such a sweetheart." He pinched my cheek. "How about another? On the lips this time?" I didn't even think about it, I just did it. "You're a cutie." He said. I smiled.

"I thank I hear my brother comin'." I said.

"Oh." He quickly lifted me off his lap. "Um, Le?" I looked at him. "I don't think you should tell your brother about any of this?"

"Any of what?"

"You know, you sitting on my lap and stuff."

"Oh." I blinked in confusion. "Why?"

Mr. Man hesitated. "…well…he might get jealous." I gave him a weird look. "I overheard your conversation earlier. I wasn't eavesdropping, I just…"

I smiled. "That's okay, Mr. Man. I won't tell 'im."

He nodded. "Thanks." He smiled at me.

"Hi, Daryl." I greeted my brother when he walked in.

"Hey, baby."

"Did ya get anythang?" I asked him excitedly.

"Just some squirrel."

"Squirrel is better than nothing." Mr. Man said and let out a small laugh.

"So, what'd y'all do while I was gone?" Daryl asked me.

"Oh, nothin'." I said. "Just played some cards."

"Played cards?" My brother questioned. "Is that it?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. I looked at Mr. Man, he smiled at me. For some reason, I got a weird feeling right then.

* * *

 **Please review and tell me** **what you thought of this cringe worthy chapter!**


	19. Expert

A fews days had gone by, I have been spending most of my time with Mr. Man. Daryl goes out at different times looking for supplies and hunting. I realized we don't talk as much anymore. At least I have Mr. Man, though. We have gotten pretty close over these days. He's my only friend besides my brother.

On this particular day, Daryl went next door to find some equipment to better secure the fence. Mr. Man said he had a surprise for me.

"Surprise?" I asked. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"Get where?"

"You'll see." He patted my head and smiled. "You won't need to bring anything besides your usual weapons, you know, in case we run into trouble."

I gave him an odd look. "I don't know about this. I don't thank my brother will like it."

Mr. Man hesitated. "…well, he trusts me, right? And he trusts you?"

"I guess." I said. I wouldn't exactly say my brother trusts Mr. Man. I mean…it's getting better but he still doesn't know him very well. Not that I think he shouldn't, Mr. Man would never hurt me.

"Well, then we'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you." He smiled.

I thought for a minute. I don't want to be rude, he probably just wants to do something nice for me. "Okay." I looked towards the door. "Shouldn't we at least wait till he gets back, though, so we can tell him what we're doin'?"

Mr. Man smiled and put both hands on my face. "I think you just want me to tell _you_ what we're doing." He laughed. "And no, we have to go now before it gets any later."

I blinked. "Oh okay."

* * *

Mr. Man and I were on our way somewhere. We walked down the street and across the highway then through the woods to the river. I had no idea what the man had planned.

"Can ya tell me what we're doin' already?"

He laughed. "All right." He pointed straight ahead. "See that over there?"

I squinted. "Looks like rocks."

"No, silly. Over there. Those are natural water slides."

"Natural water slides?" I gave him a confused look.

"Yup. We're going to have some fun today."

We walked closer and stood by the path that was the slides. "How'd ya know about this place?"

"I used to come when I was a kid. I've taken many people here. Children love it."

"That's cool but…I don't have a swim suit."

"Somehow I knew you'd say that." Mr. Man said. "That's okay because…" He dug around in his bag. "I happened to have one right here that's just your size." He handed me the small materials. I just looked at them then at him.

I let out a small laugh. "You carry around a bikini in your bag?"

He gave me a strange look, almost like he became nervous. "…you never know when you might need one."

I giggled. "I guess. Weirdo." I turned around. "Well, don't look until I'm done changin'."

"Of course." He said and turned the other direction. I had my back to him and changed as quickly as I could. It was kind of weird standing there naked out in the open, but chances are, there weren't people around.

Mr. Man was right, the bikini was just my size. I wonder how that happened? I didn't think too hard about it, though, I was excited to try out these slides. "Okay, you can look now." When I turned around, I saw that he was wearing a swim suit, too. It was just a pair of shorts.

"Ready to have wet fun?" He smiled at me.

"Yeah!" I giggled.

Mr. Man had me go first and he watched me. The slides were awesome! It was the most fun I ever had in my life! I got scraped on some rocks, though. I didn't care! It was worth it.

"Do you mind if I take a few portraits of you, Leann?" Mr. Man said with a camera in his hands. "It's just such a perfect setting."

"Oh sure." I said. I posed goofily for him a couple times making us both laugh then I played on the slides and in the water some more.

"Ain't ya comin in, Mr. Man?" I asked him.

"Yes, I just wanted to get that out of the way." He smiled. "Now, we can have some real fun."

We went down the slides together with me on his lap. "Ready?" He asked then tickled me.

I giggled. "Yeah, let's do it!" We went down together. It was so fun! And I didn't have to get scraped up this time, he did. I giggled.

We sat there laughing once we reached the bottom. Mr. Man helped me out of the water and lifted me onto the rock, he didn't put me down right away, though. I told him I was good now, so he finally set me on my feet.

"We should probably get back now." I said. "My brother's probably wonderin' where I be."

"Sounds good, Leann." He said drying himself off. I turned and slipped and hit my tooth on the big rock. It hurt pretty bad. "Are you all right, Leann?" He asked concerned. "Are you all right, sweetheart? You okay?" He held me. I didn't answer him right away.

I felt around in my mouth. "I think I chipped a tooth." I cringed.

"Really?" He asked. "Let me see." I opened my mouth for him, he looked at it. "Yeah, you did."

"Oh no." I said.

"Come on. Let's get you home." He rubbed my shoulder. "We can get you something for your mouth. I know that has to hurt."

* * *

We made our way back to the house. My tooth didn't hurt as bad anymore. My hair was still wet, getting the back of my shirt soaked. I hate that feeling. I didn't see my brother when we stepped inside the house. We were talking about our little adventure and laughing.

"Remember when we went down the slide together?" I laughed.

"Yes, that was fun."

"And remember when I got to the bottom and the water was like extra high that time and I just went like right under?"

Mr. Man laughed. "Yeah, I remember."

"And when— Suddenly, I felt my ear being pinched. "Ow!" I yelled. I turned and Daryl was there, he didn't look very happy.

"Where the hell have ya been?" He asked roughly.

I swallowed hard. "Mr. Man took me to the natural water slides."

"Yeah, did it occur to you to ask me before ya left?"

I looked down. I knew he'd be mad about that. "Well…I wanted to but Mr. Man said it would be okay."

"Don't matter what he says! It matters what I say!"

"I'm sorry." I apologized to him. He stared at me for a minute then looked at Mr. Man.

"Ya cain't just take my sister places like that! Without tellin' me."

"You're right." Mr. Man put a hand up. "I crossed a line and I apologize, Daryl." He looked down at me and smiled. "I just thought of Le and wanted her to have a good time for once."

I smiled up at my brother and nodded. He looked from me to him and back again then sighed. "All right. Natural water slides, huh? Did ya have fun?"

"Yes, I did!" I said excitedly. "But, uh…I kinda chipped a tooth." I showed him.

"How'd that happen?" He looked a little worried.

"I slipped and hit it on a rock."

He sighed and looked angry again. "Ya let my baby get hurt?" He said to Mr. Man.

"Does it make me look stupid?" I asked sadly. I was trying to stop an argument before it started.

"No, you don't look stupid, baby." Daryl put his arm around me. "In fact…it makes ya look even cuter." I smiled up at him.

"I also got kinda scraped up on the slides." I said. "Better go take care of it."

"I'll help you." Mr. Man offered.

"No, I'll help 'er." Daryl said immediately. He followed me up to my room.

I showed him the scrapes at the tops of my legs. "Damn. Ya really did get scraped up."

"It don't hurt too bad."

"Well, let's put somethin' on it at least." Daryl walked out of the room for a minute or two and came back with some kind of cream. He helped me put it on.

"Thanks, Daryl."

"Mm hmm. Of course, baby." He hugged me. "I ain't seen ya in a while."

"We seen each other." I giggled.

"Yeah, but we ain't talked. Ya okay?"

"Yeah." I smiled and nodded.

He was quiet for a minute. "Maybe we can do somethin' later."

"Okay." I said excitedly.

"I'm goin' on another run." He informed me. "I forgot somethin'."

"Oh okay. Well, be careful." I hugged him.

"I will. You, too, baby?" Hs kissed the top of my head. "And don't go nowhere!"

I giggled. "I won't. We won't."

"Good." He turned and left.

* * *

I was sitting on the couch reading a book I found. I wasn't that into it, in fact, I couldn't get into it at all. I closed it and threw it aside, sighing I laid back on the couch.

"Bored, ay?" Mr. Man asked me.

"Pretty much." I sighed. He come over to me and sat next to me.

"Hey, I'm sorry about you getting hurt today. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"Well, who would?" I smiled. "It ain't a big deal. I'm fine."

"Glad to hear it." He smiled. We just sat there.

"I've got an idea." Mr. Man said. "Why don't you and I start dinner? It'll be a nice gesture for your brother. We can make spaghetti."

I smiled. "That'd be great."

"Yeah, come on." We headed into the kitchen.

"You boil the water for the noodles, I'll start making the sauce."

"Okay." I said. I filled a pot with water and put it on the stove. Now, I just had to wait for it to boil so I can put the noodles in.

"Do you mind if I film us cooking?" Mr. Man asked. "I used to be a chef."

I blinked. "I thought ya said you was a photographer?"

Mr. Man looked nervous. "…well, I was but…I also taught cooking classes."

"Oh." I shrugged. "That's cool. Sure, go ahead and film it."

"Excellent." He took a few minutes to get his camera and set it up. "I think your water is ready."

I looked. "Oh yeah." I dumped the box of noodles inside and stirred it.

Mr. Man poured the sauce into a pot and stirred it. He went to throw the spoon in the sink and got sauce on my shirt. "Oh, I'm sorry, Leann." He apologized and grabbed a towel. "Let me get that for you." He wiped the front of me off with the towel. "I don't think it's coming out. You're going to have to take it off."

"Oh no, that's okay. I'm used to wearing dirty clothes." I laughed.

"Yeah, but you don't want to get anymore on it, do you? And what about your jeans? Just take your shirt and pants off."

I blinked at him. "But then, I'd be in my underwear."

He hesitated and looked nervous. "…well, yeah, but…that's okay. It'll just be like wearing the bikini earlier."

I thought about what he said. "Yeah, I guess yer right. It won't be too bad." I lifted my shirt over my head then slid off my jeans.

"That's better isn't it?"

"I guess." I glanced at him. "But what about you? Ain't ya worried about gettin' sauce on yer clothes?"

He looked down at himself. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He took his shirt and pants off and stood there in his boxers.

"Guess we're all set now." I said. I went back to tending to the noodles. They were done so I drained the water and set them aside. "I think we can mix them now?" Mr. Man didn't say anything. "Huh?" I said again and turned my head towards him, he was just…looking at me. "Mr. Man?"

"Oh." He shook his head. "Sorry, what were you saying, honey?"

"…I just said, I thank we can put the noodles and sauce together now."

"Oh yeah." He smiled. "I'll do it." He brushed up against me when he passed me and got the noodles. He put them into the the pot with the sauce and mixed it up. Then, he tasted the sauce on the spoon. "Mm." He said. "You have to try it." He held it out to me. I went to taste it and he dropped the spoon on me. I gasped. Sauce went down all over the front of me.

"Shit." I said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Leann. Let me get that." He grabbed the towel again.

"No, that's okay. I can do it." I reached for the towel, he pulled it away.

"No, let me. It's the least I can do. After all, it was my fault." He slowly wiped sauce off my chest and stomach. It felt weird, I couldn't hide my grimace.

"It looks like you got some on your bra and underwear. If you take them off, I'll wash them." He offered.

"Uh…no, that's okay." I backed up.

"It's the least I can do for dirtying your clothes."

"You did enough." I backed up against the counter.

"I think you better take them off." He said seriously. We stood there staring at each other for a while. "Tell ya what…you can leave the bra on just take off your underwear."

"No, I don't want to." I glared at him.

"Oh, you're just being shy. Here, let me help you." He reached for the waistband of my panties.

"No." I said firmly. "I'm not takin' 'em off."

"Come on, Le. Stop it, Leann."

"No, you stop it!" I yelled and shoved him back a little. He looked taken aback then lunged at me.

"Take them off!" He wrestled me and touched me all over in the process. "Now!"

"No! No!" I screamed. I looked to the window and saw my brother coming in the distance. "Daryl! Daryl!" I screamed. Mr. Man jumped back and looked out the window. I grabbed my clothes off the floor and tried to run, but he grabbed my wrist really hard and pulled me.

"Don't you dare say a word to your brother about this. If you do, I'll kill him then lock you in the basement to starve and rot. I just stared at him wide-eyed and breathed heavily. He finally let me go and I ran up to my room closing the door behind me. I leaned against it for a minute and screamed.

What the hell just happened? Mr. Man is a monster! He changed so quickly. He looked evil when he grabbed me. I was so scared I didn't even know what to do.

I quickly changed into new clothes and jumped into my bed. I hid under the covers and laid there shaking and shivering. If I tell Daryl, Mr. Man said he would kill him and lock me up. My brother can handle himself, but…what if something actually happened? What if Mr. Man was stronger than we thought and he did actually kill my brother? I would be stuck with him for the rest of my life.

I heard a knock at the door just then and jumped. "Le, what are ya doin' in there?" It was Daryl. I relaxed. He opened the door and I smiled but it faded when I saw Mr. Man behind him. "You okay?" He asked me. I just nodded. "Why are ya shakin'? Are ya cold?"

"Maybe she caught a cold from the river." Mr. Man said.

Daryl felt my forehead. "Ya don't feel warm. I guess I could take yer temperature, though." He turned to leave but I grabbed his arm.

"No." I said quietly. "No."

"Le, relax. I'll be right back." My brother left the room, left me alone with that monster. I stared at him still shaking. He gave me a sick smile.

"Don't worry, Leann. You'll feel better soon."

"Don't come any closer." I said. He took a few more steps but Daryl came back just in time. He put the thermometer in my mouth and sat there with me.

"I hope she'll be okay." Mr. Man said. "I could watch her for you?"

"No." I said hugging my brother's arm. "Daryl, please stay with me."

"Of course I will, baby." Daryl moved closer to me. I hugged him tightly. "Thanks, man, but I got it." He said to Mr. Man. He nodded back to him. Daryl turned back to me and I smiled. Mr. Man gave me a dirty look before leaving the room.

* * *

A little later that night, we sat at the table eating dinner. I didn't say a word the whole time just kept my nose in my food. I wasn't eating it, though. I just pushed it around on my plate. I didn't try to hide my sadness either. I couldn't. My brother and Mr. Man were talking about something, but I wasn't listening. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier and the situation I was in now.

"Le, you okay?" My brother touched my shoulder. I jumped a little. "Ya ain't touched yer spaghetti. You still not feelin' good?"

"I ain't hungry." I said and started crying, I couldn't hold back anymore. I got up and hugged my brother tightly around the neck.

"Sissy? Sissy, what's 'a matter?" Daryl asked with clear concern in his voice. I didn't answer him.

"Maybe she doesn't feel good." Mr. Man suggested. "Would you like me to take her upstairs?" I gasped and tighten my hold on my brother.

"No, it's okay. I got it." Daryl said. "Come on, baby. Let's go upstairs." My brother put his arm around me and guided me up to my room.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked me once we were in my room.

I sniffled. "Nothin'."

"Don't gimme that. Ya ain't talkin', ya ain't eatin'. Somethin's wrong and I wanna know what?"

I was silent and kept my head down. I wanted to tell him so bad, but the words just wouldn't come out of my mouth. I was scared to death here and couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"Well, if ya ain't gonna talk, then I want ya to get some sleep. It's the best thang fer ya when ya don't feel good." He pushed my hair back.

He made sure I was comfortable before leaving. "If ya need somethin' just holler. I'll come runnin', okay?"

"Okay." I smiled.

"Get some sleep, sweet thang." Daryl said then walked out the door, he left it open. I was thankful because he would hear me better if I needed to call him.

As I laid there, I realized that I _was_ pretty tired. I had a headache, probably from stress, and got comfortable. It surprisingly didn't take me long to fall asleep given the circumstance. I guess I felt safe because I knew my brother was there.

* * *

I was awakened at some point during the night by the feeling of someone sitting down on the bed. I turned my head to see Mr. Man sitting there smiling at me. I gasped. He held a finger to his lips and said, "shh."

I stared at him wide-eyed and was shaking. He reached over and pushed my hair back. "You don't have to be afraid of me. You know that." His hand started traveling down my body. I felt sick. He pulled the covers down and his hand began making it's way south.

I immediately snapped out of it and pushed his arm away then spit in his face. He wiped the spit off then angrily looked at me. Then, he struck me hard in the face. He did it a few more times than ran out of the room.

I sat there breathing heavily as I rubbed where I was hit. That could have been worse, but I was still scared. I was okay, though. I don't think he will come back after that, but…I wasn't sure.

Part of me wanted to go over to Daryl's room and just sleep in there with him. I couldn't, though. He would know something was wrong for real. I could only stay right there in my room…alone.

There was actually something I could do, though. I took the chair from the desk and blocked the door with it. It was under the doorknob so he couldn't get back in here. I tested it, it worked.

I breathed a sigh of relief and got back in bed. I guess I have become an expert at this. I covered myself completely with my blankets and soon drifted off to sleep.


	20. Good Riddance

I was pretty depressed the whole next day and stayed close to Daryl. I made sure there wasn't any chance of me being alone with Mr. Man. He seemed to stay away anyway. I was thankful.

I lied and told my brother I didn't feel good so he would stay with me. The funny thing is, though, I actually started to not feel so good.

I remember I went to bed that night. I tangled myself up in the blankets so if Mr. Man tried anything, I would feel it before it happened. But that night, something really strange happened.

I awoke to my brother shaking me. I was in a chair downstairs. I looked around in confusion. "What are ya doin' down here?" Daryl asked me.

"I don't know. I must be sleepwalkin' again." I stated.

"Again?"

"I used to when I was little."

"I don't ever remember ya doin' that?"

"Yeah, it was after ya left."

"Oh." Was all Daryl said. "Well, ya feelin' okay?" He felt my forehead. "Yer burnin' up. Great." He helped me up. "Come on, let's get ya into bed."

He helped me upstairs and into my bed. I have to admit it felt way better than being downstairs in the chair. Plus, it was kind of chilly that night. I pulled the covers around me and shivered.

"Ya gonna be all right now?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah, I thank so."

"Okay." He turned to leave but I grabbed his arm.

"Wait, can ya stay with me?"

"You want me to sleep in here?" He asked. I nodded. "Sure, Sissy."

"I'll sleep on the top bunk so you can have this one."

"Sounds good to me." He shrugged. I climbed up on the top and covered myself again.

"Want some blankets?"

"No, I'm good, baby."

"Okay, well goodnight then."

"Yeah, night."

I rolled around a little trying to get comfortable. I just laid on my back and stared at the ceiling. "Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"You still awake?"

"No, I'm asleep."

I giggled. "No, you ain't."

He sighed. "What's 'a matter?"

"I just…I kinda missed ya lately."

"I ain't been nowhere."

"Yeah huh. Yer always goin' huntin' and on runs and stuff." I said. My brother was quiet for a minute.

"Yeah, well…I kinda planned on goin' huntin' tomorra."

I swallowed hard. I don't want him leaving without me. I can't be left alone with Mr. Gross Man. What if he tried something again. I was so scared last time. "Can I go with ya?"

"Not if yer still sick."

"So, if I'm better, I can go with ya?"

"Sure." Daryl sighed. "Le…what's been with ya lately? Yer actin' mighty strange." I just kept quiet and sadly stared ahead. "Did somethin' happen? Did somethin' happen with that guy?" I nervously bit my lip. "You know, you can tell me."

"Yeah, I know." I said quietly. "Nothin' happened. Everythin's fine." I lied.

Daryl hesitated. "…okay. Well, still ya know you can tell me anythang."

"I know." There was a brief pause.

I wasn't sure if I should ask him this, but…I did. "Hey, Daryl? Do you like Mr. Man?"

"Huh?" He said at first. "Oh, sure. I guess."

"What do ya thank of 'im?"

"He's all right. He's a pretty cool guy." He replied. I looked down. "Why?"

"…just wanted to know." I said sadly and rolled over.

"Le?" Daryl asked. "Le?" I didn't answer him, just stared at the wall.

I just remembered something. I used to sleepwalk when my daddy was doing stuff to me. I guess that's why I'm doin' it again.

* * *

"Please don't go." I held onto Daryl's arm. "Please just stay here."

"Le, what the hell? I told ya I was goin' huntin'."

"Lemme go with ya! Please!"

"No, Le. Yer sick. Ya have to stay here."

"Please!"

He sighed. "You'll be fine. Mr. Man's here with ya." My eyes widened. I pleaded. "Le, it's gonna be fine." He hugged me and kissed the top of my head. "Be good okay? Be back soon." He turned and walked out the door. I watched him.

"Everything will be all right, Leann." Mr. Man said. "I'll take good care of you." I slowly turned around, he had that sick smile on his face. I got a nervous feeling in my belly. "Come sit with me." He motioned.

"No." I answered immediately. "You—you just stay back."

"Oh, come on. You know I'm not a bad guy." He took a few steps towards me. I pulled out my gun and pointed it at him.

"I said stay back!"

He stopped dead in his tracks and looked taken aback. My hands were trembling, he seemed to take notice and smiled. "You're not going to hurt me." He moved closer.

"I will!" I took the safety off. He stopped again and became angry.

"Why can't you just admit that you liked it when I touched you?"

"You're outta yer fuckin' mind!" I was about to pull the trigger, but the front door burst open and my brother stood there with his crossbow up. Everything stopped for a moment.

"I knew it!" Daryl yelled. "I knew ya did somethin' to my sister! You sick son of a bitch!"

"Whatever she told you, she's lying. I would never hurt her or any child. I love childr—

"Yeah, we know, ya love children, ya pedophile!" Daryl stepped closer. "And don't try to lie, I heard the whole thang!" I exhaled. I suddenly felt relieved. "Le, get out the way." I stepped back and stood behind my brother.

They stood there for a long time just staring at each other. Finally, my brother hit Mr. Man in the face with his crossbow, he fell backwards onto the floor then my brother grabbed him and started beating the shit out of him. Mr. Man couldn't even lay one punch.

Then, my brother dragged him into the kitchen. I followed them in. He threw Mr. Man on the floor and lit the stove. Daryl lifted him up a little and pushed his face down onto the flame from the stove. I gasped. "Daryl." I said. Mr. Man screamed in agony.

"Ya like touchin' kids, huh?" Daryl said to him. "Yer gonna get what ya deserve!"

He threw him back onto the floor and began kicking and punching him again. I didn't want to watch anymore. I walked away and up to my room. I could still hear the commotion from up here. I covered my ears with hands and sat on the bed.

* * *

Way later, I heard a knock at my door and Daryl walked in. "Hey, ya okay?" I just nodded. He came into the room and sat down on the bed with me. "I'm sorry ya had to see that. I— I jumped up and hugged him tightly around the neck and cried. I couldn't help it, everything just came out. I was so relieved, though.

He had me close and comforted me. "Shh. It's okay, Le. It's all right now. He cain't hurt ya no more." I let go of him and sat back. I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

"Is he dead?" I wiped my tears away.

"Yeah, he's dead." My brother said rubbing my back. I nodded. We were quiet for a moment.

"Why didn't ya just tell me. Huh, baby? Why didn't ya tell me?"

"I d-don't know." I sobbed. "I couldn't. I'm s-sorry. I'm so stupid!"

"No no. It's okay. Yer not stupid. Come'er." He held his arms open and we hugged again. "How long has this been goin' on?"

"Not long." I answered honestly. "It only happened like a day or two ago. The same day we went to the water slides. He tried to get me to take off my clothes while we was makin' dinner."

My brother nodded. "Well, he cain't hurt ya no more." He pushed my hair back. I nodded. We stayed like that for a while.

"All right." My brother said standing up. "Pack yer stuff up. We're goin'."

I blinked at him. "Where are we goin'?"

He paused. "Anywhere but here." He turned and walked out the door. I looked down and thought. He's right. I don't want to stay in this house anymore. I grabbed my bag and quickly packed what I wanted to take with me.

* * *

As I made my way downstairs, I remembered about the video Mr. Man took of us cooking and the pictures he took of me. They needed to be destroyed.

I walked in the direction of the kitchen, my brother was standing there, he looked up when he saw me. "Le, don't—don't come in here." He put a hand up. "Stay back. Ya don't need to see it."

"Okay." I said. "Do ya know where his bag is, though?"

He sighed. He reached behind him and held out Mr. Man's bag. I took it, it felt very light. "I already took everythang out of it and burnt it." My brother said causing me to look at him. I gave him a nervous look. "Yeah, I saw 'em. I saw that video, too. What the hell's wrong with ya?"

I hung my head. "I don't know." My brother walked closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Leann, don't ever take yer clothes off fer anyone, ya hear me?" He lifted my chin so I was looking at him. "I know it was a very uncomfortable situation, but it coulda been avoided. And I know ya have a hard time understandin' thangs sometimes, but I'm tellin' ya now…don't ever do that again. Got it?" I stared at him then sadly nodded. He gave me a quick hug then said, "come on, let's get outta here." I nodded in agreement then threw Mr. Man's bag into the kitchen. I didn't want anything that reminded me of him.

* * *

Daryl and I walked around for a while until it got dark. We picked a random house to stay in just for the night. My brother says we move on after and not worry about anymore people. Trust no one.

I was sitting on the floor poking at the fire in the fireplace. It was beginning to get cold now. I hate the cold, I love heat. I'm not looking forward to this winter. Summer is my favorite season and probably always will be.

I was being pretty quiet ever since we left that house back there. I guess I just wasn't in the mood to talk. I was kind of embarrassed about the whole incident, I felt like an idiot. Why did I let that guy get to me? He was playing me since day one. I bet he didn't even actually have a daughter. He just used that as his sob story. I became angry. I hate him.

"You all right, Le?" Daryl finally asked me.

"Guess so." I said with a shrug. "What about you? Are you okay?"

When he didn't answer me right away, I looked at him. He looked as though he was thinking. "Yeah." He finally said. "I thank I am." I blinked in confusion. He actually sounded happy.

"What?" I said. "Why?"

"Cuz." He said clearing his throat and sitting up in his seat. "I wasn't able to help you before…ya know? With dad. But…now I was. I stopped it before it happened."

"Yeah, but…I shoulda been able to stop it." I said quietly and sadly looked down.

"It's okay, Le. You was scared."

"Well, I don't wanna be scared no more! I-I shoulda just shot him when he first touched me. Or—or I shoulda told ya when it happened! I hate myself! I'm an idiot!"

"Le, don't say that."

"It's true!" I looked at him through my tears. "You might have redeemed yerself but I sure didn't! I made the same mistake as last time." I put my head down and silently cried. My brother came over to me and put his arm around me. No one said anything for a minute.

"Le…you ain't stupid. Just young and maybe a little confused." Daryl said. I looked up at him. "That guy was sick, but…he was smart. Most pedophiles are."

"What's a pedophile?" I asked innocently.

"It's a person that's sexually attracted to children."

My eyes widened and I cringed. "But how could an adult be attracted to children? And why would someone do somethin' so sick?"

"I don't know, baby. I don't have an answer fer that. But there are people like that."

"But how can ya tell them apart from normal people?"

"Ya cain't." He rubbed my back. "That's why they're dangerous." I looked down and started to cry again. "But it's okay. You know now so if that ever happens again, you know to stay away from them."

"I don't ever want that to happen again."

"It won't."

"How do ya know?"

"It won't, I promise. I ain't gonna let that ever happen again." He held me close. "Got it?" I sniffled and nodded. I felt safe in my brother's arms.

* * *

Later that night, I was in a bed upstairs. I was using my lantern for light. I have been afraid of the dark lately. I can think of a few reasons why.

My brother walked in the room. "Ya goin' to bed?" I nodded tiredly. "Okay." He leaned over and kissed my forehead and I hugged him tightly around the neck. He chuckled. "Ya all right?" I nodded. "All right. I'm right in the room next door. Just holler if ya need somethin' and I'll come runnin', okay?" I just nodded again. "Okay."

He was about to turn the lantern off. "No." I said making him look at him. "Leave it on, please."

"It's gonna waste the batteries, Le."

I gave him a sad look. "Please don't turn it off."

"You afraid 'a the dark?"

"Sometimes." I said quietly.

"Well…" he started. "How 'bout I stay here till ya fall asleep? Sound good?" I smiled and nodded. He turned the lantern off then leaned back on the bed next to me. I put my arm around him. He played with my hair.

"I love you, Daryl." I smiled.

"Love you too, runt." He let out a small laugh. "Now, get to sleep."

"Okay." I got comfortable and leaned on him.

My brother really is the best person in the whole world. I loved him to death. He's the smartest, strongest and bravest person I ever knew and I wanted to be just like him. I silently gasped just then. That's it! That's what I have to do! If I was more like my big brother, then nothing bad would happen again. If I was strong and smart and brave like him, then he wouldn't have to worry about me no more. I have to become my brother.

I felt relaxed after that and was able to fall asleep. Tomorrow is big day, the day I become my brother. I smiled and snuggled closer to him.


	21. Sore Loser

Daryl and I traveled for several weeks straight. We didn't know where we were going, we didn't have anywhere to go but we just drove. And when that car ran out of gas, we found another and drove some more.

We are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania now. At first, we stayed in a few different buildings in the city. We hated it. I know that probably sounds stupid, but…we were never meant for the city life. Not even in the apocalypse.

We found a nice little cabin in the woods that we are currently staying in. We have only been here a couple days now. I was in my room staring at myself in the mirror. Lately, I have been more like Daryl. Trying to at least. I have been going out on more runs and being tougher. But as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I realized that I can't just act like my brother; I have to look like him, too.

I smoothed out my hair, it had grown down to the middle of my back and was pretty long now. I held out some strands and pulled out my knife. "Well, here goes." I said taking a deep breath. I began sawing off my hair to where Daryl's length is. I don't know if you ever cut your hair with a knife, but it doesn't feel too good I can tell ya that much.

I looked at the hair I just cut off. "Not bad." I nodded. I continued the process until I went all the way around. I stared at the finishing product in the mirror. I was a little unsure at first, but the more I looked at it the more I liked it. I smiled at myself.

The next step was my clothes. Daryl always wears his black jeans. I hate jeans. I'm a sweatpants person. I guess black sweatpants wouldn't be too much of a change. I was good there. As for the top, my brother always wears a button up shirt with the sleeves ripped off. I dug around in the closet to see what I could find.

I skimmed through everything. Eventually, I found a purple tank top with a matching button up top. What are the odds? I quickly took it out and ripped the sleeves off it then put it on. It looked really good! Well, beside it being a bit too big on me. I didn't care, though. It's better than being too small, I guess.

As, the finishing touch, I tied my pant legs up with strings like Daryl does so his pants don't drag on the ground. I looked at myself in the full length mirror and grinned from ear to ear. "Pretty good." I thought to myself. I wish I had a vest to wear like my brother's, but for right now I'll have to settle for what I got. And with that said, I turned on my heel and headed out to the other room.

Daryl was sitting at the table in the dining room cleaning his knife or something. "Hey, check it out, big bro." I said. "I'm you." He looked up at me with a blank expression.

"Hm." He said looking back down at his work. "Nice."

I walked closer to him. "Nice? That's it?"

"What do ya want me to say, kid? Ya ain't me. Yer you."

"Yeah, but…I wanna be you." I smiled.

"Why the hell would ya want somethin' like that?" He gave me a weird look.

I looked down for a minute and bit my lip. "I don't know." I shrugged. "I just wanna be tough and brave like you, I guess." My brother just snorted. I gasped. "Hey! The next time we go out, can we look fer a cool vest fer me like yers?"

"Sure, kid." Daryl smirked. "Whatever ya want." I smiled.

I sat on the floor in the living room writing down lyrics for a song. I tried a few days ago, but couldn't get the words to sound right. Every time I tried it, it just didn't sound right. Writing music is harder than I thought.

"Hey, what ya doin', Sissy?" Daryl asked me as he walked into the room.

"Just writin' a song."

"Writin' a song?" He said in disgust.

"Well, I'm tryin' to at least."

"Well, good luck with that, honey bun." My brother ruffled my hair.

I scowled at him. I swear ya come up with different nicknames to call me everyday."

"Yup." He ruffled my hair again earning another scowl from me. "What'd ya do that to yer hair fer?"

"Cuz I wanna look like you. I told ya already."

"Right." He chuckled. "Well, I'm gonna go hunt." He grabbed his crossbow.

"Wait." I stopped him. "How 'bout I go huntin' instead 'a you?"

"Or ya could just come with me."

"Nah." I shook my head. "I wanna go alone. I can do it. I did it before, remember? I killed that wolf."

"Yeah, I remember." He raised his eyebrows. "But ya don't gotta."

"But I wanna."

He sighed. "Sissy…"

"Daryl," I stood up and walked over to him, "I'll be fine. If I run into the trouble I cain't handle, I'll just come home. Ya know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just…I don't want nothin' to happen to ya."

"It won't. I'll be fine. I promise." I smiled. "Please."

He gave me a disappointed look. "Oh, all right. But if ya don't get nothin, come home before dark, got it?"

"Yes, sir." I saluted him and headed for the door.

"Don't be a smartass." He followed me.

"Yes, sir." I said again. He swatted me. I giggled.

* * *

I been out here for a long time already and I ain't caught nothin'. Daryl was right about what he said before, I am a lousy hunter. I sighed and looked down at the ground. Just then, I saw deer tracks! I gasped and studied them. It's close. I gotta find this deer.

I tracked the deer for a short time before I spotted it. It was a small one, but who cares? It's just Daryl and I anyway. I stepped a little closer being quiet as hell then aimed my gun. It looked up from eating and noticed me then took off. "Damn it!" I yelled out loud.

I followed the deer, it took me a while but eventually I found it again. It stood there eating all innocent. I stepped closer but not too close then aimed my gun. I held my breath and pulled the trigger. I watched the deer hit the ground. "Yes." I breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

I dragged the deer all the way home. It was just getting dark by the time I got back. It was hard getting that thing back here. At first, I tried carrying it on my back, but it was just too damn heavy so I ended up dragging it. I left the deer outside and went in the cabin to find my brother.

"Daryl, check it out. I gotta deer!" I grinned widely. He looked outside.

"Good job, Sissy." He patted my back. "I'm proud 'a ya." I grinned even wider. _He said he was proud of me._ "Come on, let's skin this sumbitch."

* * *

"That was a good dinner." I said rubbing my belly. "I sure am full."

"It's a nice change, ain't it?"

"Sure is." I put my hands behind my head and leaned back.

Suddenly, I got another itch on my back. It kept happening during dinner. I scratched my back the best I could. But something was really itching me. I thought I could feel something under my shirt. "Daryl, is there somethin' on my back?" I walked over to him and lifted my shirt a little.

"…yeah, it's a tick." My brother stated. "Ya gotta tick, baby."

"Ew! Get it out."

"I'm tryin'. I need ya to hold still." My brother said. I felt his hand on my back. I held my breath and waited for him to get it. "I got it." He finally said.

"Are ya sure? The head ain't stuck in'nere?"

"I got it, baby, look." He held it out and showed it to me.

"Ew, gross. Kill it." I grimaced.

"Way ahead ya." My brother said and walked outside.

"Thanks." I said once he was back inside. "Wanna play a game or somethin'?"

"Depends on what kind."

"Well, there's monopoly."

"Hell nah." Daryl snorted. "Hate that fuckin' game." I giggled.

"All right, well…there's Life, Sorry, Yahtzee…"

"Uh…let's play Yahtzee, I guess."

"Okay." I pulled the box off the shelf and handed out the cards.

We were almost finished with the game. "I still need my small straight." Daryl said.

"Or a big gay." I grinned. He gave me a stupid look and I laughed. I rolled and took my last turn. The only thing I had left was my chance. I added it up and wrote it down. Then, I added up my total score while Daryl took his last turn.

"Well, what do ya got?" I asked him.

"324." He stated.

I looked down at mine. "322." I said disappointingly.

"Ha ha." My brother teased me. I hit his arm. "Ya wanna play again?"

"Nah. Let's play somethin' else. There's Scattergories."

"How the hell do ya play that?"

"I'll show ya as we go along." I said pulling the game off the shelf.

"The letter is 'D'." I stated. We went through and answered as many as the questions as we could before the timer goes off. _This should be a good one._ I thought. The timer went off and I had a few left. "Okay." I said. "First one, a boy's name?"

"Daryl." My brother laughed. I giggled.

"I knew you was gonna say that so I put David." I laughed. "Okay. A City?"

"Dravosburgh." Daryl said.

"What the hell is that?"

He shrugged. "I saw it on a sign on the way here. What about you?"

"Couldn't thank 'a one." I said disappointingly. "Somethin' found in the ocean?"

"Drugs."

"I said drunk people!" I laughed, he chuckled, too. "Okay. Thangs found in a coffee shop?"

"Douchebags." Daryl said.

"That don't count." I said.

"Why not?"

"Cuz it don't." I laughed.

"I don't see why. What you put then?"

"Doughnuts." I giggled.

"Oh." My brother smirked. "Didn't thank 'a that." I giggled.

We went through and I ended up winning that round. We finished our whole cards, which was six games and I ended up winning in total.

"That was fun." I said.

"Ya only thought it was fun cuz ya won." My brother raised his eyebrows.

"Someone's a sore loser." I stuck my tongue out at him.

" _Me_ a sore loser?" He asked in disbelief. "You lost Yahtzee and didn't wanna play no more."

"Cuz that game gets borin'!" I snapped.

"All right." My brother snorted. "So, ya wanna play somethin' else?"

"Nah, I'm actually gettin' pretty tired." I put the game away and stretched out on the couch.

"If ya fall asleep, I ain't carryin' ya to bed."

"Whatever." I said and got comfortable.

"So, what do ya do Tomorra?" Daryl asked me after some time.

"What do ya mean?"

"Ya wanna stay here or should we move on?"

"I kinda like it here." I smiled. "Let's stay a while."

"All right." My brother shrugged. I yawned and stretched.

"Ah, why is stretchin' the best thang ever?" I said comfortably.

"Yeah." Was all my brother said.

I started thinking about the events of today. I bagged us a deer! And it was great! Daryl said he was proud of me. I smiled to myself. I'm becoming more and more like my brother everyday. Soon I won't need him to look after me at all.

I must have dozed off because I woke up to my brother shaking me. "Le. Come on, Le. Get to bed."

"Oh okay." I said groggily. I slowly got up and made my way to my room. I changed out of my clothes and got into bed. That felt better than the couch. It didn't take me long to get back to sleep.

* * *

 _"_ _Daryl?" I said weakly. "I don't feel so good.'_

 _"_ _What's wrong, kid?" My brother said and felt my forehead. "Whoa! Yer burnin' up!"_

 _"_ _What? What's wrong with me?" I asked frantically._

 _"_ _I don't know. It doesn't look good, though. Ya might die." He said nonchalantly._

 _My head shot up in his direction. "What? I'm gonna die?"_

 _"_ _Probably." He shook his head. "Might as well put ya outta yer misery now." He pointed his crossbow at me. I screamed and tried to run but everything went black._

I jolted awake sweating and breathing heavily. Looking around, I realized it was morning. I breathed a sigh of relief and laid back in bed. _It was just a dream._ I told myself. But it sure was a strange one. Why would I have a dream like that? What could that mean? What was even stranger, though, was that I actually didn't feel too good.

* * *

I got up and joined my brother for breakfast. All we had was cans of fruit. It was all right with me, though. I opened a can of peaches and sat at the table leaning on my fist.

"We're gonna have to go out on a run soon." My brother said. "We're low on thangs." I did not reply. "I'm getting sick 'a havin' fruit all the time. It ain't enough."

"Yeah." I finally said. I realized my stomach felt sick and I didn't feel like eating. "Here, you can have these." I pushed the bowl in front of him.

"Why? Ya don't want 'em?" He asked starting to eat them.

"I don't feel very good." I smiled weakly.

He let out a small laugh. "Never heard ya say _that_ before." He said sarcastically.

"Yeah." Was all I said. I went and laid down on the couch.

"You really don't feel good, Sissy?"

"Not really." I forced myself to laugh. My brother came over to me and felt my forehead.

"Yer a little warm." He stated. "All right. No huntin' fer you today, little lady." I wanted to laugh but I couldn't. "What's botherin' ya?"

I cleared my throat. "My stomach hurts and I don't know." I shrugged. "I just feel kinda crappy."

Daryl nodded. "All right. Well, I'll let ya play hooky fer today. Just relax, okay?" He pushed my hair back. I nodded weakly. "It's probably just a twenty-four hour thang. Ya used to get sick like that all the time, remember?"

"Yeah, I member."

"You'll feel better tomorra, kid, so don't worry."

"Yeah." Was all I said.

* * *

My brother was wrong. I felt worse the next day. I had a high fever, my stomach felt sick and I just felt weak. I was so confused because I was fine two days ago. What the hell happened? It's like this sickness came out of nowhere.

"You should try to eat somethin'." Daryl said while taking the thermometer out of my mouth. He looked at the temperature and whistled.

"I don't even wanna know." I said weakly. "And I cain't eat nothin'."

"Well, I want ya to try." He disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes then came back. "Here. I made ya some soup." I slowly and weakly sat up. I tasted the soup, it was very good.

I slowly ate the whole bowl. I have to admit, it felt good to have some food in my stomach. I laid on the couch and tried to relax.

As I was laying there, though, I started to feel sick to my stomach. "Uh oh." I said.

"What?" My brother asked me. "What is it?" I didn't answer him, I jumped up and ran outside. I emptied the contents of my stomach on the ground. "Damn." Daryl said from behind me. "All that good soup ya just ate." I throw up some more when he mentioned soup. I groaned and stood up straight. "Ya good now?"

"I thank so."

"Come on." My brother lifted me and carried me into my room.

"Somethin' on my back hurts." I mentioned.

"Really? Where?"

I lifted my shirt and pointed to the area. "Do ya see anythang?"

"No, there's nothin' there." I felt him touch the area. I cringed. He touched another spot while checking it and I giggled a little. He paused then let out a small laugh. "Oh yeah? What about over here?" He poked my other side. I flinched and giggled again. "What about here?" He tickled my sides and stomach. I laughed loudly.

"Stop it!" I said laughing.

He chuckled. "All right." He helped me into bed. "Just rest." He pushed my hair back. "Just try to get some sleep." I nodded and got comfortable. My brother stayed with me until I fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, I got up and…felt completely better. It was gone. I jumped out of bed to find my brother.

"Hey, Sissy?" He said. "I'm gonna go on a run in a little bit. Maybe I can fine ya some medicine. Why ain't ya in bed? You should—

"I feel better!" I said excitedly.

He blinked at me. "Yer better? You was just sick and bed all day yesterday. Yer sayin' yer completely better?" I just nodded rapidly. "Okay?" My brother said strangely. He reached out and felt my forehead. "Hmm. Ya feel normal." He paused and just looked at me then shrugged. "Well…I ain't gonna complain." He ruffled my hair. Normally, I'd be mad but today is different.


	22. Put the Lyme in the Coke, You Nut

"I know yer feelin' better, but I still want ya to stay here, okay?" My brother informed me.

"But I'm okay, though." I put my hands on my hips.

He let out a small laugh. "I know, but…I just wanna be safe, all right. Just stay here. Just fer today."

I thought for a minute and decided not to argue. "Oh, all right." I pouted. He gave me a quick hug then left.

I wasn't sure what to do after that. I decided to listen to some music on the iPod I found. The songs on it weren't great, but it was something. I laid on my bed on my stomach and sang along with the music. I learned a lot of the songs and quickly.

 _"_ _Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I want to be sedated_

 _Nothing to do and no where to go-o-oh I want to be sedated_

 _Just get me to the airport put me on a plane_

 _Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane_

 _I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain_

 _Oh no o—_

Just then, I thought I heard a thud so I paused the music and looked out the window. I didn't see anything. "Oh well." I shrugged. I pressed play and continued singing along.

 _"_ _Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I want to be sedated_

 _Nothing to do and no where to go-o-oh I want to be sedate—"_

I heard the noise again. "What the hell?" I got up and looked around outside again. I still didn't see anything.

I walked out of my room and into the kitchen. That's when I saw a walker at the back door. I pulled out my knife and opened the door just a crack then stabbed it in the head.

I brushed my hands on each other. "Well, that takes care 'a that." I said. I went back into the my room and back to my music.

 _"_ _Just put me to the wheelchair get me on a plane_

 _Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane_

 _I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain_

 _Oh no oh_

 _Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I want to be sedated_

 _Nothing to do and no where to go-o-oh I want to be sedated_

 _Just put me in a wheelchair get me to the show_

 _Hurry hurry hurry before I go loco_

 _I can't control my fingers I can't control my toes_

 _Oh no oh_

 _Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I want to be sedated_

 _Nothing to do and no where to go-o-oh I want to be sedated_

 _Just put me in a wheelchair get me to the show_

 _Hurry hurry hurry before I go loco_

 _I can't control my fingers I can't control my toes_

 _Oh no oh_

 _Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I want to be sedated_

 _Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I want to be sedated_

 _Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I want to be sedated_

 _Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I want to be sedated_

 _Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I want to be sedated"_

* * *

I was in the same spot I was when I heard my brother come in. I just stayed that way and continued to listen to music. "Everythang okay?" Daryl asked me walking into the room.

"Yup!" I said without looking up at him.

"Yer still feelin' good? Ya ain't sick again?"

"Nope." I shook my head.

"Good." My brother cleared is throat and took something out of his bag. "I, uh…picked these up fer ya." I looked up to see a box of tampons, I didn't miss the nervous look my brother had on his face. I almost laughed.

"Oh, thanks. Could ya put 'em under the sink in the bathroom?" I went back to my music. He didn't say anything just hurriedly left the room with them.

He came back about three minutes later and just stood there. I looked up at him and he was just staring at me with the weirdest expression. I raised an eyebrow then paused the song. "What is it?" I asked.

Daryl seemed nervous and hesitated. "…what, uh…is everythang okay?"

"Yeah? What do ya mean?"

"Well, I just, uh…there's two other boxes of…them things under the sink and they're not opened."

I waited for him to say something else but he didn't. "Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow. "What's yer question?"

He looked really nervous. "…are ya not gettin'…yer…ya know, thang?"

I almost wanted to laugh at him again. "Oh yeah." I waved him off and looked back down at my iPod, scrolling through to find another song. "I don't get that no more."

"What do ya mean ya don't get it no more?" He said. I looked back up at him. He had a concerned look on his face.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "It just stopped one day."

"How long ago?"

I had to think back for a minute. "…maybe like…five months." His eyes widened and he just stared at me. "What?"

"Le…that cain't be good." My brother said. "What if there's somethin' wrong? What if…" He trailed off and looked like he was thinking. Then, he narrowed his eyes at me. "You sure you and that guy didn't have sex?"

"Daryl." I said rolling my eyes. "I'm positive I didn't have sex with Chad."

"No, not that one. I mean that Jay guy back at—

"Are you serious?" I jumped up. "Of course I know I didn't do it with that…that…psycho!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Calm down." He sat down on the bed. "I'm just…worried about ya, you know that."

"Yeah." I said with my head down. "It's probably nothin'. I bet it cuz my weight."

"What?"

"I remember this girl at school once told me that her older sister don't get her period as much no more cuz she lost a bunch 'a weight."

"Oh." He narrowed his eyes again and said roughly. "Well, then, yer gonna have to eat more. I'm gonna make sure of it."

"Daryl." I whined. "I don't get hungry like you. I cain't eat that much."

"Well, you can eat a little more." He said with raised eyebrows. "Got it?"

I sighed. "Yeah, got it."

That night, Daryl and I had spaghetti for dinner. It was a nice change. We couldn't have it with meatballs, obviously, but it was just fine with noodles and sauce. It really hit the spot and I actually finished all of mine for a change. I just wanted my brother to get off my back about eating.

* * *

The next three or four days nothing special happened. It was the same stuff; we ate, we played games, we slept. Everything was fine and was going great.

However on this particular day, I woke up in some serious pain. I had a terrible headache and everything was killing me. It hurt to move! I didn't even know what to do but to lay there. "Daryl!" I called for my brother. "Daryl, help!" He came running into the room.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked. I could hear the concern in his voice.

"Somethin's wrong." I cried. "It hurts."

"What does? What hurts?" He rushed over to me and sat on the bed.

"Everythang." I cried. "It hurts to move…and my head. It hurts so bad."

"Okay, okay." My brother said frantically. He looked lost. "I'm gonna get ya some Advil."

"Okay." I said weakly. He disappeared then came back about two minutes later with pills and a bottle of water.

"Here, baby. Can ya sit up?"

"No." I answered.

"Okay." He nodded. "Here." He put the pills in my mouth then held the water bottle for me. I took a gulp and swallowed the pills. I panted. "Just relax, baby. Relax." He pushed my hair. "Oh my. You feel really warm." He looked concerned.

"Daryl." I cried. "I'm really scared. What's wrong with me?"

"It's okay." He tried to calm me. "Just wait fer the pills to kick in. You'll feel better soon."

"I'm hot and tired." I said weakly.

"Well, if yer tired try to go back to sleep." Daryl petted me. All of a sudden, I felt dizzy and laid back panting and sweating. "Sissy? You okay?" I heard my brother talking to me but for some reason, I could not respond. I just laid there weakly.

* * *

I opened my eyes and the pain from before was gone. My brother was sitting on the bed next to me. "Daryl?" I called weakly.

"Sissy, you okay?"

"What happened?" I asked him.

"Ya passed out yesterday. How ya feelin'?"

"Yesterday? I been knocked out that long?" My eyes grew wide.

"…yeah." Daryl said. "How ya feelin' today? I want an answer."

I sat up slowly. "Well…I still feel bad but not _as_ bad. I'm still hot and tired and…" I grimaced as I sat there. "My back hurts."

"Well, lay back down then."

"No, that makes it worse." I grimaced. "It hurts real bad. It feels like somethin' on it."

"Lemme see." My brother got up and went behind me. Gently lifting my shirt, then he gasped. "Oh, Le." He said.

"What?" I asked alarmed. "What is it?" He just gave me a concerned look. I weakly hopped out of bed and went over to the mirror, turned around and lifted my shirt. "Oh no! What is it?" There was a really strange looking rash or something on my back. It was sort of like a bull's eye pattern. "Daryl? What is it?" I grew frantic.

"…I-I don't know." My brother stammered. I could tell he was lost and didn't know what to say or do.

Just then, I started to cry. "I'm scared."

"Hey, hey, don't cry." My brother hugged me. "Don't worry. It's gonna be okay. Come on, now. Get back in bed." He helped me into my bed.

Daryl stayed there with me all day. I made a joke about not being able to finish the book I was currently reading, so my brother read some of it to me. I told him he didn't have to, but he did anyway. I have to admit, it did take my mind off things for a while.

My brother helped take a drink of water. I coughed after I swallowed. "Easy." He said. I settled down and looked Daryl in the eyes.

"I really don't feel good, ya know?" I said weakly.

"I know." He pushed my hair back. "I know ya don't."

"No, but I mean…I really don't feel good." I breathed out loudly. "It's taken all my energy just to say that sentence. I don't thank I'm gonna make it."

"Stop." He scolded. "Don't talk like that."

"But it's the truth!" I tried to yell. "I don't know what this is or where it even came from, but…everythang hurts, Daryl." I cried. "It hurts to even move, I'm weak as hell, my head hurts, I'm so so tired." I laid my head back and breathed. "I got this weird rash and high fever and now I cain't even breathe."

"You cain't breathe?" My brother asked alarmed and moved closer to me.

"I sure am havin' trouble." I said weakly and breathed out. Daryl looked down for a long time then finally looked back at me.

"Sissy…I-I don't know what to say. I just don't know." He grabbed my hand. "Just…try to get some sleep, okay? That's the only thang I think will help ya right now."

"Okay." I said weakly. I just leaned back and breathed trying to relax.

Things were quiet for a few minutes then my brother finally spoke. "Did anyone ever tell ya about the day you was born?"

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Mm-mmm." I shook my head. I was curious, though.

"Well…I have to say, and don't feel bad, but we wasn't too happy about havin' a baby in the house with us. Ya know, cryin' all the time?" He smirked. I smiled weakly. "Well, everyone was so sure you was gonna be a girl. But I says, 'nope, it's gonna be boy.' I was damn sure of it." He paused and swallowed. "I was wrong. You was a girl, just like yer mama and everyone said. And I was even more unhappy when they told me. I didn't want an annoyin' teenage girl livin' in the house with us, ya know?" He teased. I tried to laugh. "But then, I looked at ya…and I held ya. You was so tiny. So fragile and innocent. And that's when I knew it was my job to protect ya. I had to keep ya safe." He smiled. "And from that moment on, you was my girl." He rubbed my cheek with his thumb. I smiled. "Merle was jealous. You would cry whenever he held ya. I was the only one that could get ya to go to sleep…and get ya to eat." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Yer still the same." I laughed weakly.

"Ya never told me that." I smiled. He smiled back.

Suddenly, I felt extremely dizzy again. "You never…you never…uh..."

"Sissy? Sissy?" I heard Daryl say. I was too weak to answer. And then, I must have passed out again.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of my brother's voice. He was talking but not to me. I was confused, he didn't notice I was awake. I pretended to be asleep and listened to him.

"Look, I don't do this very often, but…I'm only doin' it now cuz I need a miracle. I mean a real miracle." My brother said. I gasped inside. _I think he's praying!_ "I know I ain't the best person, but…my sister is. She's the sweetest thang I ever did see, and…and I cain't lose her." He started to cry. "I cain't. She's just a kid…she tells me how much she needs me. But the truth is…I need her. Way more than she needs me." He wiped at his tears. "So, please…please don't take her from me. Not yet, she's so young. And I need her." He stopped after that and kept his head down.

I really wanted to get up and hug him tightly, but I didn't. I couldn't. I just laid there and still pretended to be asleep. I have never in my life heard Daryl pray. And hearing him do it now about me being sick scared me to death.

I don't think I'm going to make it…and apparently neither does my brother.

"Daryl?" I pretended to stir in my sleep.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I know ya told me not to talk about it— I coughed. "But it needs to be said." He was giving me a sad look. "Don't kill me…till ya know I'm dead fer sure…"

Daryl was silent a minute. He stared at me with a sad look. "…baby." He grabbed my hand and started shaking his head. "I would never—

"Just promise." I cut him off. "Please." He stared at me and started to tear up.

Nodding rapidly, he said, "I promise."

I was able to breathe a sigh of relief after that. I smiled at him. I thought for a minute, now was the perfect time to ask him. A better time than ever. I may not get the chance in the morning. "And another thang," he looked at me, "I heard ya talkin' to Mr. Man that one night. I know what happened to me, why I'm like this."

My brother's eyes widened. "You-you heard that, sweetie?"

I nodded weakly. "Why didn't ya ever tell me?" I started to feel emotional and tears welled up in my eyes.

"I just… _we_ just…didn't want ya to feel like…like you was…" He trailed off trying to think of the right words to say.

"A retard? Crippled? A dumbass?"

"Le, don't say that." He scolded me. "But…yeah, in a way." Now he looked like he was getting emotional. "I'm sorry I kept it from ya. I know we promised not to keep secrets no more. It's just…" He sniffled.

I suddenly felt guilty. "Hey, Daryl, it's okay." I reassured him. "I-I understand."

"Ya do?"

I nodded. "And thank you."

He gave me a weird look. "Fer what?"

"Fer not ever treatin' me different." I smiled.

He looked a little shocked maybe? Then, his expression softened and he gave me a small smile and grabbed my hand, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand. I felt better that we talked about it.

Suddenly, I got that weak and dizzy feeling again and felt so tired. Way more tired than before. I laid my head back and closed my eyes.

* * *

 **Hey, guys! :D I hope you all are enjoying this story so far! The title of this chapter is a hint of what's wrong with Le ;)**


	23. Death Equal Life, Life Equal Death

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was…the ceiling. My eyes darted around in their sockets as I looked around the room. It was nice and bright and…my pain was gone. I felt so much better than I did before. I was so confused. Am I dead?

I slowly sat up in bed. Where's Daryl? Everything was extremely quiet. Then again, it usually is, but not this quiet.

I hopped out of bed and slowly opened the door. Peeking out, I did not see anyone. I walked the rest of the way out of the room and down the hall. "Daryl?" I called. No answer. What's going on? Where is my brother?

I finally found him outside sitting on the porch. "Daryl?"

He whipped his head around and looked at me. "Le?" It seemed as though he couldn't believe his eyes. "Le, what are ya doin'? Why ain't in bed?" He got up and stood in front of me.

"…I-I feel better." I stammered. He just stared at me. "I'm serious."

"You ain't playin' games with me now?"

"No! I swear! I'm just as confused as you are! I don't know what's goin' on neither!" I exclaimed. He was looking at me funny. Then all of a sudden, he felt my forehead with the back of his hand.

"Not warm at all." He nodded. "What the hell's goin' on?"

"I don't know." I put my head down. There was a brief pause then my brother hugged me tightly.

"I'm so happy yer okay."

* * *

A few days had gone by and I was still feeling okay. I was worried all the time, though, because all I could think about was getting sick again. That happened before and I'm really dreading it happening again. But for right now, I was good. So, best to moved on with our lives.

"Well, I'm goin' on a run." I said to Daryl. I grabbed my gun and put it in its holster.

"Hold up." My brother stopped me. "What do ya mean yer goin' on a run?"

"I'm just gonna go look fer some stuff." I stated. "I won't be long and I won't go too far."

"Where ya goin'?" He pressed.

"I said I won't go too—

"I heard what ya said. But I wanna know where yer goin'?"

I sighed. "Just around the block, I guess."

He was silent for a moment. "Right there, that's the deal. Got it?"

"Okay." I nodded.

"Just holler if ya get into trouble. I'll hear ya."

"All right." I nodded and walked out the door.

I checked in a few houses down the street. I found some food and some supplies we needed. I was surprised that I was able to find anything at all. It's getting harder and harder to find things.

As I was making my way back home, I walked through a small field. Well, it wasn't supposed to be a field. I think there was a house there that got torn down right before the turn. The grass grew over and now it looks like a field.

I heard a walker and looked up. There was one making its way over to me. I quickly pulled out my knife. Right when I was about to stab it, I felt a stiffness in my arm. "Ah." I cringed. I almost dropped the damn knife. The walker grabbed onto me and we fell to the ground.

"Come on, ya dumb arm." I tried shaking it out, but it wasn't working. Finally, I was able to stab it in the stomach, ripping the fresh all the way up and the blood poured all over me. I pulled the knife out and stabbed it up through the jaw. It finally went limp. I laid there catching my breath.

I finally pushed the walker off me and got up. I looked down at myself covered in blood. "Gross."

* * *

"I'm back!" I called as I walked in the door. "I found a bunch 'a stuff, too." I started setting the items on the table. "Batteries…flashlights…more canned food." I giggled. I looked over and saw my brother just staring at me. "What?"

"Ran into some trouble I see."

I looked down at my blood-covered clothes. "Oh yeah. It was just a walker. My arm got all stiff on me fer some reason."

"Yer arm?"

"Yeah." I answered while looking at my arm. "I don't know." I went back to the supplies I just found. "Check it out. Mac' n' cheese." I giggled.

"Yeah, so I was thankin'…now that yer better. We should find a different place to stay."

"What's wrong with this one?" I asked while moving the cans and stuff around.

"Well, it's just…we usually don't stay too long in one place and…it's probably all infected with yer germs."

"Okay sure, Daryl. We can leave."

"Ya want to?"

"Yeah, whenever ya want." I smiled. And so it was settled.

We stayed that night in the cabin then moved on first thing in the morning. We traveled to a town called Geneva. A lot of the area was farm like so we found ourselves a nice farmhouse to stay in.

We have been here for about a week now. Everything has been going pretty well and I haven't gotten sick again. Daryl and I were out on a run today looking for a few certain items.

"Ya find anythang good?" My brother asked me.

"Not really." I replied. "There's these stale candy bars." I giggled.

"Better than what I found." Daryl said. "Oh, I forgot somethin' in the car. Go ahead in."

"All right." I walked into the house and just put my bag down and took my jacket off. Walking into the kitchen, I noticed the back door was open and there was glass on the floor. I slowed up. "Daryl." I called. Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind. I gasped.

"Quiet, little girl." A man said.

"Don't touch 'er!" My brother yelled from behind us. The man spun us around.

"Don't do anything stupid." The man said. "I'll kill her." The man and my brother were just staring at each other. I was suddenly overtaken by emotion and thought about all the bad that's happened, all the way up to me being very sick. Suddenly, an anger arose inside of me that I didn't know was there. I elbowed the man in the stomach as hard as I could. He grimaced and dropped his guard. I pulled my knife out and angrily stabbed him over and over again in the stomach.

Finally, he dropped to his knees with blood grossly coming out of his mouth then fell to the floor dead. I stood there panting. It took me a while to calm down, but when I did I looked at my brother and he had an expression like no other. It was pure shock. I just walked away and sat on the couch in the living room.

* * *

Hours passed with neither of us saying anything. It was now dark outside and I felt better. Calm I mean. I have no idea what happened back there. I guess I just got sick of everything and took it out on that guy. Daryl got rid of the body soon after it happened.

"Sorry." I finally spoke. My brother just looked at me. "I don't know where that came from."

"I just, uh…never saw that from you before."

"Yeah, I know." I put my head down. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to me." He came over and sat next to me. "Ya okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right." I half smiled. "Are you— Suddenly, we heard a noise outside and jumped up in unison. Daryl made a gesture for me to go around the other way. I nodded in return and I made it to the kitchen before he did. There was a man outside, he walked right into the house.

"Paul!" He yelled. "You in here?"

"Don't come any closer!" I yelled with my gun pointed at him. Daryl came around the other way with his crossbow up. We had him cornered.

"Whoa! Take it easy!" He said with his hands up. "I'm just looking for my friend. Have you seen him?" I glanced at my brother.

"Yeah, he tried to kill my sister so we killed him." Daryl said.

"What? He's dead?"

"That's right. And if you don't do what yer told then you'll end up just like 'im." I said.

"Look, I don't want any trouble. I just wanted to find my friend. I can go and…" While he man was talking, Daryl gave me a signal so I hit the man in the back of his neck with my pistol and he passed out. Daryl hurriedly tied him up and put him in the other room.

I would have helped my brother, but I started not to feel so good. "Oh no." I said to myself. I walked into the bathroom and leaned over the sink. I puked. "Great." I was feeling hot and dizzy just like before. I think I'm getting sick again.

I slowly and weakly made my way out to Daryl. I saw the guy tied up on the floor, he was starting to come to. "Daryl?" I said. He emerged from the living room.

"There ya are." He said. "I was lookin' fer ya." I didn't say anything, I leaned on the table to help hold me up. "What's 'a matter?"

"…I-I thank I'm sick again." I said. I stumbled a little. Daryl quickly came over to me and caught me then walked me over to the couch. I laid down breathing heavily.

"It's okay, Sissy." My brother pushed my hair back. "Just relax, okay?" All I could do was nod.

"What's wrong with her?" The man asked.

My brother ignored him. "I'm gonna get ya some water."

"Please." The man said again. "I used to be a doctor. I can help you, but I need you to tell me what's wrong." Daryl just stared at him. "Look, just trust me, okay? Just tell me."

"…she's been real sick." My brother finally said. "Like this."

"What are some of her symptoms?"

Daryl sighed. "I don't know…fever, pain, headaches—

"What kinda pain?"

"My muscles and joints." I said weakly. "Everythang just hurts."

"What about swelling?"

"Yeah." I said. "And I'm always super tried and feel like I cain't breathe."

"She also had a weird rash on her back." Daryl stated.

"What did it look like?" The man asked excitedly. "Was it like a bull's eye pattern?"

My brother and I shared a look. "Yeah." I finally answered him.

"Did you have a tick where the rash is? I think you have Lyme Disease." The man stated. I gave my brother a horrified look.

"Yeah, she did have a tick." Daryl shook his head. "There's no way, though, she's fine."

"She doesn't look fine to me." The man said. "I can help you. There's an old medical shelter just up ahead and I think they'll have what you need. If you just untie me I can—

"No!" My brother yelled.

"Look, do you want her to die?" The man snapped. "Because that's what's going to happen if you don't get her help now!" They just stared at each other for minute.

"Let's do it." I said. "I trust 'im."

"No." Daryl said again.

"Too bad fer you!" I snapped. "I'm the sick one, not you and I'm willing to try!" I panted. "I'm the one who has to deal with it not you." My brother glared at me.

"Guess it's settled then." The man said. "Do ya have a car?"

* * *

The three of us were on our way to this medical place that the guy was talking about. My brother had to carry me to the car because I was so weak. I laid in the back while the guy drove. Daryl held him up the whole time waiting for him to make one wrong move.

"My name's Kenneth, by the way."

"No one gives a shit." My brother said. "Just drive."

"Nice to meet ya, Kenneth." I said weakly. "I'm Le and this is Daryl."

"Pleasure." He said.

We arrived at the place and the man pulled up to the building and parked. "You stay." My brother told me. "We'll go inside. Yell if anythang happens." I nodded. They hopped out of the car, Daryl still had his crossbow pointed at Kenneth. I laughed weakly. I watched them until I couldn't see them anymore.

I laid back weakly and breathed. It was starting to get bad again. It's getting harder and harder to breathe. "Just relax." I told myself. "They're gonna be back soon and you're gonna get better once ya take this medicine." I swallowed hard and breathed out. "I just hope they get back soon." I laid my head back and closed my eyes.

* * *

I heard the car doors being opened and jolted awake. "What?" I said. There were walkers coming out of the building.

"Go! Go!" Kenneth yelled to Daryl who was behind the wheel now. He started the car and quickly drove away. "That was too close."

"What happened?" I asked weakly. "Did ya get it?"

"Yeah." Kenneth said breathing heavily and smiled. "Here, sweetheart. Take these." He handed me two pills. I put them in my mouth and swallowed them with a gulp of water. "You should feel better in no time now."

"Gee, I hope so." I said.

"Yer gonna be okay, baby." Daryl reached back and grabbed my hand. I smiled and leaned back.

* * *

I was feeling better by the time we got back to the house. I hopped right out of the car and up the stairs. "Someone looks better." Kenneth said laughing.

"I feel so much better!" I said excitedly. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Kenneth!"

"You're welcome." He chuckled. We all walked inside. I noticed that Kenneth looked somewhat pale and a little sweaty.

"Take it easy, Le." My brother said. "You remember what happened the other times you was sick then got better. Ya got sick again."

"Yeah, but now I have medicine!" I said with glee. Then, I realized something. "Say, why did that happen to me?"

"That's the bad thing about Lyme Disease." Kenneth said. "It's hard to detect until it gets really bad. You could have the symptoms for years and not even know it. It'll just sneak up on you. You were one of the lucky ones."

"You can die from this?" I asked wide-eyed.

"Yup." Kenneth said.

"Wow." I looked down. I _was_ one of the lucky ones.

"You can stay with us." Daryl said to Kenneth.

Kenneth was quiet for a while. "No." He said shaking his head. "I won't be here much longer."

"What do ya mean?" I asked him. He lifted his shirt revealing a bite. My eyes went wide. "You mean…"

"I got bit." He said sadly. "I got bit."

Daryl and I shared a look. I put my head down for a moment and thought. "That's why ya wanted to help us, cuz you was bit. It was meant to happen. You helped me and now we're gonna help you." I smiled. "Ya don't gotta be alone when it happens." Kenneth paused for a minute then smiled back at me.

* * *

Kenneth got weaker and weaker as the night went on. Daryl and I stayed right by his side the whole time. We owed it to him. "Thank you." He said. "Sorry to be a burden."

"No, thank _you."_ I smiled. "Ya saved my life. I'm just sorry I cain't save yers."

"That's okay, sweetheart. Better for me to die than you." He smiled. I got tears in my eyes.

"Sorry fer knockin' ya out." I giggled. He chuckled, too.

"Man, thank you fer savin' my sister." Daryl said and put his arm around me. "She's my world, and it's okay." He nodded. Kenneth returned his nod. He grimaced and laid back.

"Kenneth, you okay?" I asked frantically.

"Oh yeah." He said. "It just hurts sometimes." I gave him a sad look. He eventually fell asleep and didn't wake up.

We buried Kenneth that day. This incident…this amazing thing that happened kind of changed me. There's still good people out there. We killed his friend and he saved me. If Daryl and I would have just killed him like we were going to from the beginning, then I would probably be dead eventually.

I put the last shovel of dirt on his grave. "Thank you, Kenneth. I won't forget you."

* * *

 **Please review and let me know how I'm doing and how you like the story!**


	24. Closed Doors

Before this happened, I never even been outside of Georgia. We never did anything like normal families did like go on vacation or just travel, maybe even take a road trip. We never did any of that stuff. Now I have been so many different places that I lost count. I have had so many different homes. We are living in another place right now in a town called Meadville. Not a farmhouse, not a mansion, just a regular small house. It felt nice, home-like. The last place we were at was nice, too, but we didn't want to stay there anymore with all that happened. You know, with Kenneth and me being so sick? So, we decided it was time to go.

"This is to you." My brother said holding up a glass of wine. "Fer gettin' over a terrible illness like that and all."

"Yeah, but you were the one who found the meds." I pointed out. "You and Kenneth."

"Yeah." Daryl said with a nod. "Good man."

"He was." I agreed and sipped my wine. I laughed a little because I think my brother is getting drunk. "Good time fer a celebration."

"It's always a good time fer a celebration." Daryl slurred making me laugh.

"Yer so outta character right now." I smirked.

"Sorry, I'm drunk." He said and leaned back. I giggled.

"I don't thank I ever saw ya happy drunk…no wait, I take that back. The night at the CDC you was happy drunk."

"Oh yeah. I 'member that." We both laughed.

Things were quiet for a moment. I took a big gulp of my wine then I remembered I been wanting to talk to him about something. I sighed putting my glass down. "Daryl…can we actually talk about somethin' serious fer a minute?"

"Sure, baby." He slurred. "What's 'a matter?"

I hesitated. How do I start. "…I…really wanna be you." I finally got out. He was just giving me a strange look. I almost laughed but remembered I had to be the serious one. "I mean…I just…wanna be more like you. Tougher, stronger, braver. Ya know what I mean?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he drank his glass of wine down then said, "no," while pouring another one. I sighed.

"I'm sick 'a you havin' to carry my weight plus yers. You should only have to carry yer own weight. I wanna be able to take care 'a myself. I wanna be more like you. I wanna _be_ you. I wanna—

"No." Daryl said shaking his head. "Ya ain't me and yer never gonna be me so stop tryin'."

"But…"

"Nope." He shook his head again. "Nope nope. No ifs ands or buts…unless ya want yers smacked." He laughed. He used to say that to me when I was little. "Yer you and I want ya to be you and not me cuz I love who you are and never want ya to change." He grinned.

"Well…that's nice but I still wanna be—

"Too bad." He snapped this time. "Yer just gonna have to get over it." He filled my glass for me. "Now…sang me a song or somethin'."

"What?" I gave him a weird look.

"Sang! Now!" He said giving me a serious look that soon turned to laughter.

"Oh, all right." I pouted. He clapped. "What should I sang?"

"Don't know. Anythang."

"Okay." I shrugged. I started singing him Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters.

* * *

The next day, Daryl was still sleeping and it was pretty late. I didn't wake him up, he drank a lot last night so I figured he had a pretty nice hangover. I just let him sleep. If anything happens I will just wake up him then like he always wants me to.

I could have worked on fixing the fence outside to give us a little more security, but it was one of those rare days when my knee bothers me so I sat down in chair in the living room with a book and tried to get comfortable. Just before I did though, I had a great thought!

The other day, I found one of those heating bags that you heat up yourself then you place it on areas that have pain. I should go heat it up and use it for my knee.

I jumped up, pulled the bean bag out of my bag and headed into the kitchen. "Okay, how should I do this?" I said to myself. I looked at it. I guess I could heat it on the stove. I turned the stove on, good thing we had a gas stove here, then glanced at the bean bag. The cover doesn't look like it can be heated safely. I wonder if I should do this? I looked at it and thought. "Oh well." I put it on a pan then went back into the living room, sitting down with my book.

I was really into this book I found. It was about a teenage girl that was raised to be a serial killer by her mom. The mother was also a serial killer but once she had her daughter, she trained her to take over. It was pretty interesting.

As I was sitting there reading, I thought I could smell something weird. Almost like something was burning. _Oh yeah._ I thought. _It's probably just the bean bag._ And for some reason, I didn't think it was an issue at the time. I mean…things always have a weird smell while their cooking. I shrugged ignoring it and went back to my book.

However as the time went on, the smell seemed to get worse. I decided on going to check it. I calmly closed my book and walked into the kitchen. What I was met with was flames! Big flames! "Oh my God!" I yelled. The whole stove top was on fire!

I panicked and picked the pan up by the handle not even thinking that it was probably hot, it burnt my hand. I screeched and dropped the pan. Then, I panicked some more and picked up the bean bag, which burnt my hand even more, and the thing fell apart. The tiny beads inside went everywhere and caught different parts of the kitchen on fire. I didn't even know where to start now on account of there being so many different places on fire.

I panicked and then froze. Yeah, that's right. I stood there and stared at the flames as they got bigger and ruined more of the kitchen. The fire was spreading. I finally snapped out of it and grabbed some bottles of water. I poured them on the fire, but it was too big. I couldn't keep up with the amount of water we had. I stood there again trying to think of what to do. _Daryl is gonna kill me._ I thought. Then I gasped. _Oh my God! Daryl is still asleep!_

"Daryl!" I screamed running up the stairs a bit. "Daryl, hurry! Help! The house is on fire! Help me!" I heard a commotion upstairs and knew he had heard me. I walked back into the kitchen, my brother was there in a minute.

"What the hell happened?" He asked frantically.

"I'll tell ya later!" I said. "Just help me!"

"Where's the water?"

"I-I used it all already!" I said. He gave me a look. I ignored it and grabbed a blanket, I tried smoothering the fire with it but it just made it worse, plus now the blanket was on fire. My brother grabbed my arm. "What are ya doin'? We gotta put it out!"

"No!" He grabbed me again. I tried pulling away. "I said, no! We gotta go, Sissy! Grab yer shit!" I hesitated. "Come on, move!" He yelled at me. I snapped back to reality and quickly grabbed my bag heading out the door following my brother.

We ran outside and stood there in the street looking at the house burn. "Are ya all right?" Daryl asked frantically. "Did ya get hurt?"

"M-my hand." I held it out. He looked at it.

"It don't look too bad. It'll be okay." He said. Then, someone had flipped his switch. Calm Daryl become scary, angry Daryl in just seconds. "What hell just happened!" He yelled. "What did ya do, huh?"

"I-I was heatin' a-a bean bag and it-it caught on fire." I stammered.

"You was heatin' a bean bag? On the stove? What the hell was ya thankin'?"

"I-I didn't thank it was a problem and—

"Ya didn't thank it would be a problem? Really, Leann? Did ya at least take it outta the cover?"

 _The cover? Oh…yeah. Damn it! Why didn't I do that? Why didn't I read the instructions?_ The look I gave him answered his question. He glared at me then shook his head. He leaned his hands on a broke down car next to us and exhaled sharply. "How many times I told ya not to do somethin' unless ya know what yer doin'?" He spun back around to face me and screamed. I jumped, it startled me so bad. My brother yells at me a lot, but he never yelled like that before. I was honestly scared. "How many, huh?" He was close to my face.

"I-I don't know." I said quietly. "A-a lot."

"Yeah, that's right! A lot!" He put his hands on his head. "Damn it, Leann! Ya even got herself hurt! It coulda been worse than that! And…ya wasted all our water!" I was suddenly brought to tears.

"I-I'm sorry, Daryl." I cried. "I'm really s-sorry."

"Sorry, don't cut it." He said roughly. "Why didn't ya listen to me? Huh?"

I was quiet a minute. "…I don't know. I guess I…fergot." I put my head down.

"Ya fergot, huh?" He nodded. "Well, I'm gonna make sure ya never ferget again!" He grabbed my wrist. "You, little girl, are NEVER allowed on another run with me EVER again! I don't want ya doin' a damn thang without my permission, ya hear? Not a damn thang." He got close to my face when he said the last part. I looked at him through my tears and nodded. He let go of my wrist giving me a shove. "And don't thank I'm feelin' sorry fer ya neither." He began walking. I just stood there and watched him. "Let's go!" He yelled. "We gotta find a new home." I just sadly put my head down and followed him.

I feel like an idiot. I didn't read the directions for the bean bag like the dumbass I am and burned our house down and got myself hurt. The worst part, though, is how mad I made Daryl. I don't think he'll ever trust me again.

* * *

Daryl and I traveled to a new town called Pymatuning. Things have been really awkward between us. I can't say if he's still mad at me or not, but we haven't had a real conversation in the longest time. I was beginning to get worried.

We are currently staying in an apartment complex. The rooms are pretty small, but it's up high in a building so it will be difficult for the walkers to get at us. The bad thing about it being so small is, I have been on Daryl's restriction for all this time. He goes out on runs and I have to stay cooped up in our little apartment. If that wasn't bad enough, I have him to ask for permission to do anything, like cook dinner. It's kind of embarrassing. I'm wondering when he is going to ease up on me.

I was trying to find something to do. I dug through my bag looking for something interesting. I had finished the book I was currently reading plus the one from before. I sighed. I had nothing to do. I got up and walked to the window. Looking down the street, I remembered about the bookstore that was nearby and got an idea.

I glanced back at my brother, he was in the kitchen eating something. "Daryl?" I called as I made my way to him. "Hey, Daryl, I was thankin'…"

"Yeah and what was ya thankin'?" He asked me without looking up from his food.

"Well…I was tryin' to find somethin' to do and decided I wanted to read, but…I finished all my books. There's a bookstore close by. Can I go look fer a few new books?"

"No." He answered immediately still not looking up at me.

"Please." I said desperately. "It's just down the street and I won't be long. I won't go nowhere else—

"I said no, Le." He finally looked up at me with raised eyebrows. We just looked at each other for a moment. "Ya want somethin' to do? Here." He handed me his bowl. "Wash this fer me." I sadly took it to the sink and washed it out, dried it then put it away. I walked right passed my brother and went into the living room laying down on the floor. I curled up into a ball and just stayed like that. I closed my eyes.

Several minutes later, I heard Daryl walk into the room then stop. "Le? Ya okay?" He asked me.

I didn't answer him right away. I slowly lifted my head. "What?"

"Ya all right?"

"I'm fine." I said and laid back down. He stood there a minute then came over and sat down on the couch behind me. We were quiet for a while.

I heard my brother sigh. "Go ahead."

"What?" I sat up and looked at him giving him a weird look.

"You can go to the bookstore."

I glanced down at the floor for a few seconds then back up at him. "No…that's okay. Ya told me not to—

"Le, just go." He said. "Go ahead go before I change ma mind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. But just there, don't go nowhere else."

I nodded and emptied the contents of my bag onto the couch before slinging it over my shoulder and heading for the door. I wanted to take his advice and go before he changed his mind.

"Don't be too—hey, look at me." He said. I looked over at him. "Don't be too long."

"Yes, Daryl." I said before walking out the door.

I made my way down the stairs and out the main entrance of the building then briskly walked down the street. It was a cool night. I tightened my jacket around me as the wind blew making me shiver.

The bookstore was just around the corner. I knocked on the window checking for walkers. When I didn't see or hear anything, I went in. I stopped dead in my tracks. There were books everywhere! So many on shelves! I never been in a bookstore before. It was so overwhelming.

I looked around and grabbed ones that sounded interesting. There was one book that when I saw it, it reminded me of Daryl. It was called, _Catcher in the Rye._ I stuffed it in my bag to give to him.

I figured that was enough and struggled to zip up my bag. I grabbed more than I thought. I finally zipped it closed then heard a noise in the store somewhere. I pulled out my gun and brandished it while looking around. "Is someone there?" I asked.

I slowly and quietly walked around. "Hey, who's— I was cut off by the sound of a book falling. I jumped. But when I looked, there was a little kitty sitting there. I sighed in relief and made my way over to it while putting my gun away. "Hey, little guy…or girl." It ran away before I got close enough to pet it. "Don't go." I said. I took another step towards it, but it ran away again. I looked at it disappointingly.

"Well, here." I reached into my pocket and took out the Twinkie I found. "I hate these thangs anyway." I opened it and sat it on the floor for it. Then, I turned and walked out. I glanced back before leaving and saw the cat eating the Twinkie. I smiled.

* * *

I just got back to the apartment. Daryl was in the same spot he was in when I left, and gave me a weird look. "That was fast."

"Ya told me not to be gone long?"

"Yeah, but…ya ain't been gone thirty minutes."

"Well, I got what I needed." I smiled. I dumped out all the books on the coffee table.

"Damn." My brother commented. "Ya rob the whole store?"

I giggled. "Oh." I said spotting the book I got for Daryl. "I know ya don't read much, but I got this fer ya." I handed it to him. "It reminded me 'a you."

He stared at it. "Why?"

"I don't know." I picked one of the books up and spun around and headed towards my room. "I'm goin' to bed, I thank."

"Okay…well…night." He said. He sounded surprised.

"Goodnight!" I said and closed the door.

* * *

The next day, I laid on the couch on my stomach munching on cereal and reading one of the books I found. It was getting really interesting. I read the first chapter last night and it seemed pretty boring so I threw it aside and went to bed. I picked it up again this morning and I was hooked after reading the second chapter. It's called Flash and the author's name is A. L. Marasco. I wonder if this person had anymore books!

I was so into the book that I didn't even notice my brother walk over to me. He swatted my bottom. "Hey." He said. "How 'bout goin' outside fer a minute or two and gettin' some fresh air?"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. Come on, put that damn book down." He said roughly. "And get rid 'a this garbage bag fer me, too, all right?"

I giggled. "Okay, Daryl." I put my bookmark in then sat the book aside. I grabbed the bag from him and headed outside.

I walked around to the other side of the building because I remember seeing a dumpster back there. When I got there, though, I saw the cat from last night. "Hey, you." I said. "I bet yer hungry. Let's see what we got in here." I opened the garbage bag. "Here ya go." I sat some scraps on the ground for it. The poor little thing ate it right up. It let me pet it this time! "Aw, yer so sweet." I said while petting it. "Wanna come home with me?" The cat meowed. "Guess that means yes." I giggled. I slowly picked it up and checked underneath. "I guess yer a girl then." I giggled some more. "Come on." I carried her back to the apartment.

"Hey, Daryl." I said excitedly. "Look what I found!" I held up the kitty. Daryl gave me an irritated look.

"I sent ya out to take the trash and ya come back with a damn cat." He shook his head. "Where'd ya find 'im?"

"Well, first of all…it's a girl. I checked." I said proudly. "And she was just out there by the dumpster. Poor lil thang was starvin' so I gave 'er some scraps."

"Great. Now it ain't gonna ever leave."

"I don't want 'er to leave." I hugged her. "I love 'er."

"Yeah, well, when it pisses and shits and throws up everywhere you can clean it." My brother said roughly then walked into the kitchen.

I gave him a dirty look. "Why ya always gotta be like that?"

"Like what?"

"Always thankin' about the bad shit instead 'a the good." I stated.

"Cuz I just am."

"Well…I helped this cute, little girl."

"Good fer you." Daryl said then walked into his room.

I made a disappointed face at his closed door. I wish my brother would lighten up a bit. He's always been so grouchy and careless towards a lot of things. I wish he would change. He's always so…reserved and refusing to show emotion. He shouldn't shut people out like that. That's exactly what he is…a closed door.

* * *

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	25. Strangers

My brother went on a run later that same evening. I was playing with my kitty that I named Angel. She was so sweet and funny, I love her already. After a while, though, I got bored. I decided on taking a look around the apartment complex. I should be quick, though, before Daryl gets back. He will be pretty mad if I leave without asking him.

I went across the hall to the room right across from ours and went inside. It was almost identical to the room we had. The keys were on the end table. And that's when a thought came into my head. I could move over here! That way I won't be in Daryl's way and he won't have to worry about when Angel throws up on the floor.

Yeah, that's a great idea! I will tell him tonight when he gets back. I wonder how he'll feel about it, if he'll be okay with it? I guess we'll find out. I took one last look around and left closing the door behind me.

My brother was already there by the time I left. I didn't even hear him come in. "Where ya been?" He asked me immediately.

"Sorry, I was just next door." I said with a smile. "I didn't go nowhere."

"That's all right."

"I'm glad ya came in. I gotta talk to ya about somethin'." I said excitedly.

"Yeah, what's that?" He asked without looking up at me.

"That room next door, it looks just like ours. So, I was thankin' I could move in there." I stated. He slowly lifted his head and looked at me. "Well…me and Angel."

"Ya…ya wanna move out?"

I nervously tapped my fingers together. "…well, I just figured it will be easier that way. I mean…these rooms are small and it will give ya more space. And that way ya won't have to worry about my cat if she…has an accident." I finished. My brother just looked at me. "Is…that okay?"

Finally, he shrugged. "If that's what ya really want…then I guess that's fine."

"Okay." I smiled. "I'm gonna go get my stuff then." I turned to go in my bedroom.

"Wait a minute." My brother stopped me. "We need to talk. Sit down, kid." I gave him a nervous look. "It's all right. I gotta tell ya somethin'."

I sat down at the table while he stood there almost hovering over me. "Listen, I, uh…that day with the fire…I ain't sorry fer what I said to ya, but I'm sorry I yelled at ya like that." He said. I just kept my head down and bit my lip. "I lost my temper. I know I shouldn't 'a but I did. I just…don't want ya ever to be in danger and ya coulda got seriously hurt, ya know that, right?" I just nodded. "I'm glad yer okay and I'm sorry fer what happened." He paused. I didn't say anything. He was just looking at me, I didn't know if he was waiting for me to say something. "…well, I just wanted ya to know that." He finally finished.

"Okay." I nodded. "Is that it?" I finally looked up at him. He hesitated, almost as if he wanted to say something else, but instead just nodded. "I'm gonna go get my stuff then." I jumped up and went into my room.

As I was packing, I tried not to think too hard about what Daryl said. He ain't sorry. Maybe for losing his temper like he said, but he ain't actually sorry because this same thing will just happen another time, and then I'll get another fake apology. Well, I'm sick of it! He does this to me all the time. Maybe he'll finally get the picture and realize I'm done with his shit when I'm gone. Then, maybe he will lighten up. I doubt it, though.

Once I was finished packing, I slung my bag over my shoulder and picked up my cat then headed out into the living room. Daryl was sitting there on the couch. "Well, I'm leavin'." I said.

"Ya need help?"

"No, thanks. I'm good."

"Okay. Be careful." He said and was on his feet in a minute. I rolled my eyes. "Lemme know if ya need anythang or if somethin' happens come get me and I'll—

"Daryl, I'm right across the hall." I said. "I'll be fine."

He nodded slowly. "Right, sorry." He looked down at the ground. I almost felt bad. "Ya got any food?"

"There's a little over there."

"Here." He picked up two cans off the kitchen counter. "I want ya to have 'em."

"No, that's okay, Daryl. That's yer food."

"Take it." He said more forcefully.

I sighed and took them. "Thanks." He nodded then we both just kind of stood there. "Well…night." I said with a small smile.

"Night." He nodded. I quickly walked out the door and into MY house.

I put Angel down first then the rest of my stuff then locked the door. That was important. I sighed looking around then smiled. I got my own house. Suddenly, I remembered back when I ran away that time and stayed in the city. That was before the turn even happened. I remembered me jumping on the bed in the hotel room saying "I got my own house." I smiled. Well, now I really do.

I put my stuff away then decided to go to bed. It was getting kind of late. I laid down on my bed and it was one of the best feelings in the world. I fell asleep quickly and slept so good that night.

* * *

I pretty much stayed in my apartment most of the time. I didn't eat as much as my brother so I was pretty good on food still. But what wasn't good was the trash. My garbage was practically overflowing. I decided it was best to take it out now. I tied it up and dragged it out the door.

I walked around to the dumpster and threw the bag in. That's when I saw my brother out there, he was smoking a cigarette. "Hi." I said to him and smiled.

"Hey." He said. I turned to leave. "How are ya? Ya okay?" He said again.

"Yeah." I smiled. "Are you?" He just nodded. I stood there a minute and just looked at him. He looked thinner to me. "Well…night." I smiled again and waved.

"Yeah, night."

I went back up to my room. That was super weird. It was like we were strangers…

The first few days in my apartment were great, but then I started having nightmares. They became more frequent and soon I was having one every night. They got worse and worse each day, too. They began bothering me during the day, too. I just kept getting these weird feelings. I can't even explain them, it was almost as if I couldn't tell what was real and what was a dream. It's not as bad as it sounds. I just mean…I didn't feel like I was here. I couldn't tell my brother any of this, though, because he would just make me move back in with him and everything would just pick up where it left off. He would go back to treating my like a stupid, little kid. I can't have that.

And, so, I became depressed. I was eating less, taking care of myself less. I hardly slept at all; I was lucky if I got two hours of sleep each night. I know I sound stupid. I know I sound ridiculous, but…I just can't tell Daryl about this. I can't.

One particular night, I took my trash out and saw him again. Just like last time. "Hey." He said first.

"Hey." I said quietly. I walked right passed him and threw my garbage in the dumpster.

"Ya all right? Ya don't look too good."

I hesitated. I wanted to just tell him. Tell him how bad everything was and just move back in with him, but I didn't. "…yeah, just tired. Angel kept me up all night cuz she was hungry and ran outta food." I lied. "I'm gonna have to go on a run soon."

"Me too." Daryl said. "Maybe we can go together?"

I perked up a little. "Sure. I'd like that. Just let me know."

"All right." He nodded then threw his cigarette down. I turned to leave but felt the back of my shirt being pulled. Daryl grabbed me and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back. It felt so nice, I can't remember the last time we did that. We stayed like that for a while.

He finally let me go. "Sorry." He said.

"Don't apologize." I let out a small laugh.

He nodded. "Well…you should probably get to bed. Ya said ya ain't slept and 'sides, it's late."

"Yeah." I nodded. "Night, Daryl."

"Night, baby."

I felt so much better after finally talking to my brother. Maybe things will get better for me now and I'll actually be able to get some sleep. I approached my apartment and realized I must have left the door open. I walked inside and shut the door behind me.

I noticed Angel's bowl was empty so I poured her some food. She didn't come running like she always does. That's strange, she's usually starving and can't wait to eat. "Oh well." I shrugged. She's probably just sleeping somewhere.

I opened a can of peaches and dumped them into a bowl. Then, I sat down on the couch while eating them. My cat never came out. I suddenly had a thought and gasped. What if she ran out while the door was open. "Angel!" I got up and ran to my room. She wasn't in there. I checked all around the apartment. "Angel!" I couldn't find her and began to feel scared.

I checked all around the building, she wasn't anywhere. She couldn't have gotten in the other rooms because the doors were closed. She must have ran outside. I was breathing heavily and was really worried. I went back to my apartment and laid down on the couch trying to calm down.

"Okay." I told myself. She was an outside cat before so she'll probably come back. She knows where she lives. "Yeah." I told myself and nodded. I just decided to go to bed and see what happens in the morning. I left my bedroom door open so I would hear her if she was scratching at the front door.

I really hope she's okay and she comes back. I thought sadly.

* * *

It was now noon. I waited all morning to see if Angel would come back. She never did. I started to cry because I really liked her. Something could have happened to her out there. I needed comforting.

I got up and went next door. I knocked on the door and waited for my brother to answer it. He did seconds later. "Hey." He looked and sounded surprised.

"Can I come in?"

"Course." He stood aside. I walked in and sat on the couch. "What's 'a matter? Ya look like you been cryin'?"

"Angel ran away." I said with tears in my eyes.

"Aw, baby." He came over and sat next to me. "I'm sorry. Don't worry, she'll be back. She's an outside cat, she'll come back—

"She left last night." I stated. "I waited all mornin' fer 'er. She ain't comin' back." I cried. "I thank somethin' bad happened to 'er."

"Le." He rubbed my back. "Cats can be gone fer days 'fore they come back."

"I don't care." I shook my head. "I'm goin' to look fer 'er." I tried to stand up but he pulled me back down. "Lemme go!"

"No."

"Let go 'a me!"

"No!" He yelled this time. "Le, calm down. I'll help ya look fer 'er, but I need ya to calm down, okay?"

"Ya will?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I'll help ya."

I took a few deep breaths. "Thanks." I said quietly.

"Mhm." He said. "Come'er." He hugged me. "Shh shh shh." He kissed my forehead. "It's gonna be okay. Ya okay now?" I nodded. "All right. Come on." We left the apartment to go look for Angel.

* * *

We checked all around the small town we were in and still no sign of my cat. I was getting extremely worried that something bad really did happen to her. "We're never gonna find 'er." I cried.

My brother sighed. "Le…she gotta be around here somewhere. Thangs just don't disappear."

"People do." I wiped at my tears.

"Hey." He stopped me. "What ya just say?"

"I said people do." I sniffled. "People disappear. Everyone we knew did." He gave me a sympathetic look and put his arm around me.

"It's gonna be okay. That's not gonna happen again, okay?" He tried to reassure me. "I won't let it."

Suddenly, we heard a noise up on the roof above us and looked up. A piece of the roof that was hanging there broke off and was falling right where we were standing. I froze. "Le! Move!" My brother yelled. He pushed me out of the way, I fell to the ground. I heard the metal hit the ground but also heard my brother yell in pain. When I looked, he had a huge gash on his side! He dropped to the ground on his knees.

"Oh my God, Daryl!" I jumped up. "Daryl, no!" I suddenly forgot about that damn cat.

"Ahh." He said in pain. "I'm okay."

"No, yer not!" I screamed. "It's bleedin' bad! We gotta get ya back to the apartment!" I helped him up as best as I could and we limped back to the apartment.

I helped him to the couch and he laid down. "Just stay there!" I ordered. "I'll take care 'a ya!" I ran to the kitchen and grabbed some bottles of water and all the towels I could find. "Here." I ran in there with a wet towel. He lifted his shirt so we could see the wound. "Yer losin' a lot 'a blood." I stated. I held the towel down on it to put pressure on the wound. Daryl made a noise. "Yer gonna be okay." I told him.

"Le." He said.

"Don't talk." I told him. All the towels were soaked with blood already. "I'll be right back." I ran to my apartment to get more towels. I was back in seconds. I held it on tightly. I just kept putting as mush pressure on it as I could.

"Okay." I finally said after what felt like forever. "The bleedin' stopped." I told my brother. "Do ya know where bandages are?" He didn't answer me. "Daryl?" I looked up at him. He was laying there with his eyes closed. "Daryl?" I said again. Still no answer. "Damn it, Daryl. Answer me!" I grew frantic and stood up. "Daryl?" I said with tears in my eyes. "Daryl, please." I put my head on his chest and checked for a heartbeat. There was. I exhaled in relief. Then, I put my hand under his nose to make sure he was still breathing, I felt light air on my hand and was able to relax. He's just unconscious.

I found the first aid kit and cleaned then bandaged my brother's side. "You should be good now." I told him even though he couldn't hear me. I pushed his hair back like he does to me when I'm sick. "Don't worry, Daryl. I'm gonna take care 'a ya." I leaned up and kissed his forehead. "Sleep now. Ya deserve a rest." I sat back down. I can't go to sleep or even leave his side until I know he's okay. "Night, big brother." I said picking up a book.

* * *

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	26. On My Own Now

I stayed up all night looking after my brother and was tired as hell. I haven't been sleeping very well lately either. It was early the next day and he was still unconscious. I kept checking at random times to make sure he was still breathing. Everything was fine right now.

I decided that if I have to be taking care of my brother, I need to take care of myself, too. I poured myself a bowl of dry cereal. It wasn't enough but it was something. I ate it slowly. What else did I have to do?

I just sat down in a chair and realized Daryl had beads of sweat on his forehead. I got a rag and wiped them off, rung it out, then put it across his forehead. I just looked down at him sadly. "Ya better be okay, Daryl or _I'm_ gonna beat _yer_ ass."

* * *

The time passed slowly. I ate something for lunch then dinner later on. I finished the current book I was reading and started another. Eventually, though, I just sighed and put it aside. "When are ya gonna wake up, Daryl?" I said desperately. "I know I said ya deserve a rest, but…I still need ya. I don't know what I'd do without ya." I looked over towards the kitchen at the empty cans and bags of food I left. "We're low on food." I stated. "I'm gonna have to go on a run. I don't wanna leave ya, but I have to." I stood up and grabbed my gun.

I checked my brother to make sure he was okay before leaving. "I won't be gone long. Stay safe. I'll be fine." I said to him before closing the door behind me. I took the garbage with me before I left and chucked it in the dumpster.

* * *

There was a gas station nearby and also a grocery store. I decided to check the gas station first since it was closer.

I approached it and looked through the windows. I didn't see anything. I still pounded on the window first and waited like Daryl taught me. After a moment, a walker emerged from inside and banged against the glass. I almost just turned to leave, but something stopped me. "Ya cain't be scared." I told myself. "If Daryl don't make it, this is what it's gonna be like." I took a deep breath and pulled my knife out. I opened the door ajar, just enough that my hand could get in there and stabbed the walker in the head. Once it fell to the ground, I went inside.

There was very few snacks left in there. I found one bottle of water. I just put what I could find in my bag and left quickly. I headed to the grocery store.

It was so dark inside that I had second thoughts about going in there. I couldn't turn away, though. I took my advice from earlier and did the exact same thing I did at the gas station before going in.

I dug my flashlight out of my bag so I could see better. The store was a mess. Products off the shelf lay on the floor along with some dead bodies. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere. There was also mold on some things. I decided on getting a few things as quickly as possible and getting out.

Just like the gas station, there was very few food items left. I grabbed whatever I found. A lot of the food was expired. Some of it will still be all right, though. Like chips and stuff, I think those will be fine. I mean…they might taste a little gross, but they won't kill us. I found some batteries, too. We always need those.

As I walked deeper and deeper into the store, it became darker because I was away from the windows. I heard a groan in the distance and knew there was a walker nearby. I shined my flashlight around nervously while looking for it. It emerged suddenly and almost grabbed ahold of me but I was quicker. I spun around and stabbed it before it could do anything. I shined the flashlight down at it's emotionless body.

When I looked up right in front of me on the shelf, I saw the best thing that I saw in a while. It was a first aid kit. It was big and had a lot of equipment inside. It's perfect for right now. I quickly stuffed it in my bag and figured that was enough. I need to get back to Daryl and make sure he's okay. What if something happens to him? Or worse…he wakes up and I'm not there? I swallowed hard. I turned on my heel and ran toward the exit of the store.

I was stopped by a bunch of walkers, though. They literally came out of nowhere! I squealed. I backed up and pulled out my gun. I shot two of them then my pistol was empty. _Shit!_ Why didn't I reload before I left? I cursed myself.

I ran around the store with the walkers following after me. One got too close and I had to kill it. I stabbed it in the head quickly. Another was behind it so I threw the dead one at it and they fell to the ground. But then one grabbed me from behind. _Shit!_ I quickly spun trying to shake it off me. More of them were coming! I need my brother real bad! I almost started crying.

I struggled for a minute but eventually got that one off me and stabbed it in the head. I ran towards the exit again, one of them came out in front of me so I jumped up and stabbed it without even having to think.

I pushed another one out of my way and ran for the exit. I closed the door behind me. They wouldn't be able to get out now. I leaned against it panting while all the walkers inside came to the window. I listened to their gross moans. "Time to go." I told myself. I calmly walked away.

I passed a sign that said _Holiday Camplands._ Wonder what that is? I don't remember seeing that there before, but it must have been there for a while seeing as how dirty it is. I'll have to tell my brother about it.

As I was running back to the apartment, I noticed a truck parked behind one of the store buildings there. It said FEMA on it! I got excited. Maybe there's food! I decided to make one last stop before going back. I checked inside the small shelter. It was clear. However, it had a bunch of those ready to eat dinners! "Hell yeah." I said to myself. I stuffed as many as I could in my bag then carried the rest.

How lucky am I right now? I thought happily. I'm so proud of myself! _Daryl_ is going to be so proud of me when he wakes up… _If_ he wakes up. No, don't think like that. He's going to be fine. I nodded. He can't die. Certainly not from this. He's tougher than that. Although, it was a pretty big gash…and he did lose a lot of blood. I shook my head. "Stop it!" What if he stops breathing and I'm not there to do anything? All of a sudden, I started running. I ran all the way back to the apartment.

When I arrived back, I ran straight up the stairs and into our apartment. Well, Daryl's apartment. I threw down the stuff I just found and ran to my brother. "Daryl?" I said. "Ya okay?" He didn't respond. I checked him, he was still breathing. I sighed in relief.

"Ya won't believe what I found." I told him. "I got like a ton of food fer us. We're gonna be okay." I glanced back at him. "Why do I even bother? Ya cain't hear me." I grabbed one of the meals I found and heated it. I started eating. "Not bad." I said. "You should try this. I thank ya'd like it." I looked to my brother. "I'm doin' it again." I sighed and finished eating.

* * *

I got tired of sitting around later on and decided to clean up in here a little. It looks like my brother didn't do anything since I moved out. I cleaned up the dishes and put them away. I found empty cans and candy wrappers laying around. "Ya sure are lazy, big brother." I said out loud. I threw all the garbage away.

By the time I cleaned everything up, the damn garbage was filled again. _We sure are pigs._ I thought. I was about to just say screw it and leave it there, but then I just decided on walking it down to the dumpster. I mean…what else am I doing?

I pulled the bag out and tied it then put in a new garbage bag. I walked out the door with the filled one. I pulled the door closed and just as it shut, I realized I forgot the key. "No!" I yelled pushing on the door. It was too late, it closed. I tried turning the doorknob but it was locked. "Damn it!" I yelled. I sighed and looked around. I'll figure it out. I took the garbage down to the dumpster first.

When I came back up, I tried breaking the door down with my foot. It hurt me more than the door. "Enough of that." I said in pain. I looked around in the hallway for something I could use to break the doorknob. I spotted a fire extinguisher behind a little glass door on the wall at the end of the hall.

I kicked the glass as hard as I could causing it to break. "At least I could break something with my foot." I almost laughed. I took the fire extinguisher over to the door and began hitting the doorknob with it.

So far, I wasn't having much luck. I wasn't strong enough to damage it enough to get the door open. I sighed and paused for a moment. Then, I tried a few more times. It still wasn't working.

Sighing again, I stepped back against the wall and just stood there for a minute trying to think of what to do. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to think of a plan. I gasped. "The fire escape!" That just might work.

I ran out the door to outside and to the stairs out on the side. I brought the fire extinguisher with me so I had something to break the window with. The ladder was too high up for me to reach. "Damn it." I looked around. There were empty trash bins down the street. I grabbed them and stacked them on top of each other. I would still have a bit of a reach, but if I jumped I think I could get it. I climbed up on the bins then jumped for the ladder. I grabbed it, but my weight pulled it down. The ladder went down with me on it.

When it stopped, I fell off and hit the ground. "Ow?" I said. I slowly got up and dusted myself off. "Well…at least it worked." I quickly climbed up the ladder then the stairs until I found the right window. I peeked in and saw my brother laying there on the couch.

I stepped back against the landing then threw the fire extinguisher as hard as I could at the window. It, of course, broke and I hopped inside. I put my hands on my knees and bent trying to catch my breath. Still breathing heavily, I glanced over at Daryl. "If ya only knew what I just went through to get to ya." I told him.

I walked closer to him and checked him. He was still breathing. Exhaling in relief, I slowly slid down to the floor. "You'd probably be laughin' right now." I gently smacked his leg with the back of my hand. Then, glanced at his wound. "I should change yer bandage."

I fixed my brother's bandage real nice and cleaned it. "There ya go." I said standing up. I disposed of the bad one.

I sat down in a chair and tried to relax for the first time in a while. I started to feel extremely tired as I was sitting there. "I cain't fall asleep." I told myself. It was getting harder and harder. I actually dozed off for a few minutes then woke myself up. "I said no sleepin'." I scolded myself.

I needed something to keep me awake. I looked around the room and spotted my book on the coffee table. I didn't actually feel like reading at the moment, but something was telling me to read. I picked it up and returned to my seat.

The chapter I was reading was pretty boring. I just wanted to finish it so I could move onto the next one. However, I read something inside that was pretty ironic. This little girl's father was in a coma and this woman told her that they can still hear you when you're in a coma. The ones who had people sit and talk with them held on longer. I slowly lifted my head and looked at my brother. Maybe I could try that with him?

I slid my chair closer to him. "Hey, Daryl. I don't know if ya can really hear me, but if ya can…I'm gonna read to ya." I cleared my throat and sat up. I started reading where I left off.

I only read about two pages before I stopped and looked at him. "Okay, this ain't workin'. You wouldn't be interested in'is story." I closed it and threw it aside then sat there with my head in my hands. I sighed.

Suddenly, I had a thought. I looked back up at him. I sat up straight and tall then cleared my throat. I started singing.

 _"_ _I'm cornered in fire so break out the secrets_

 _I hope ya know that ya were worth it all along_

 _I'm tired, yer angry, and everyone looks blurry_

 _I love ya, I'm leavin'; so long_

 _Hey, little one_

 _I'm so scared of what this could have been_

 _I know that today I lost my only friend_

 _My little one_

 _The places I took you, they seem so fuckin' empty_

 _I have trouble goin' anywhere at all_

 _'_ _specially my own bedroom_

 _And it stays awake to haunt me_

 _So pass out, black out, drunk in another bathroom stall_

 _Hey, little one_

 _I'm so scared of what this could have been_

 _I know that today I lost my only friend_

 _How long must I justify my pain through these songs?_

 _How long, how long?_

 _Hey, little one_

 _I'm so scared of what this could have been_

 _I know that today I lost my only little one_

 _I'm so scared of what this could have been_

 _I know that today I lost my only friend_

 _How long must I talk about my pain in these songs?_

 _How long?_

 _It's rainin', it's sunny_

 _It doesn't make a difference_

 _I don't care about anythang at all_

 _It's rainin', it's sunny_

 _It doesn't make a difference_

 _I don't care about anythang at all"_

I finished singing and just sat there a moment before saying anything. "That was called, Little One by Highly Suspect." I stated. "I hope ya like it. Sorry fer swearin'. It's their words not mine." I paused for a long time. I was suddenly overtaken by emotions and started to tear up. "Hey, Daryl?" I sniffled. I grabbed his hand. "Um…I really hope yer okay…and that ya wake up soon." I cried. "I…I really miss you. I cain't do this myself. I almost died today. I need you. I'm sorry to put that on ya, but I still need ya." A sob escaped. "Please, please wake up. Please." I put my head down and cried. And I didn't care if I looked like a stupid, little kid.

After a while of me sitting there crying, I felt my brother gently squeeze my hand. I looked at him wide-eyed. Then, he seemed to stir in his sleep. "Daryl?" I questioned. "Daryl?"

* * *

 **Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying this story so far! :D Please leave a review and tell me if you think Daryl will be alive or a walker! :O**

 **Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows! It's much appreciated! Also, this story only has a few more chapters left :(:**


	27. Bad Fer You, Good Fer Me

"Le?" Daryl said groggily.

"Daryl, yer awake!" I said happily. I went to hug him but remembered the wound on his side so I stopped myself.

"What the hell happened?" He asked me.

"Ya got cut by a big piece 'a metal that fell from the roof and passed out shortly after we got back here." I stated. "Ya really don't remember?"

"I do now." He said. He tried to sit up but I pushed him back down.

"No, Daryl, yer too weak yet. Just rest." To my surprise he actually listened to me. We just sat there a minute. Then, I could have kicked myself. "Oh! Yer probably thirsty!" I said getting up. "And hungry."

I ran to the kitchen and got him a bottle of water and took it to him, he drank it down quickly. Then, I quickly made him one of the ready to eat meals I found.

"Thank you." He said.

"Eat slow or you'll get sick."

"Right." He said. There was a brief pause then Daryl said, "ya really took care 'a me this whole time?"

"I sure did. I had to. Just what you woulda done fer me."

He reached out and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. "Ya look really tired."

"Oh…I-I'm okay." I lied.

"Where'd you get this?" He asked referring to the food.

"Oh." I perked up. "I went out last night and found 'em in a truck behind one 'a the stores." I grinned from ear to ear. He glared at me.

"Ya mean to tell me you went outside while I was here in a coma?"

My smile faded. "Yeah."

He glared at me some more. "You…what have I told ya…

"Daryl, I found more supplies. And I was fine." I smiled. "I didn't wanna leave, but I had to. We had nothin'."

I could tell he was angry, but he seemed to let it go. He sighed. "It's good that ya found more food. I'm proud 'a ya."

I gave him a small smile. "Well…I did have some trouble at a grocery store." I admitted. "Walkers came from everywhere, but I got out in time and trapped 'em inside."

"Ya shouldn't 'a risked it."

"I didn't know they were inside. I did everythang ya taught me, but they just came outta nowheres."

"Well…I'm glad yer safe." He pushed my hair back. I smiled. Just then, I remembered about the other stuff that happened.

"Oh yeah, I went to take the trash out and I locked myself out. I had to climb up the fire escape and through the winda. That's why it's broken." I said nervously. My brother just chuckled.

"Come'er, you." He hugged me tightly and kissed the top of my head. "Guess I was a lot 'a trouble, huh?"

"No, ya wasn't no trouble at all." I smiled at him. We just sat there for a minute like that.

"Say, what made ya wake up anyway?" I finally asked him.

He hesitated then smiled. "…I heard somethin' beautiful." I gave him a weird look. I was confused at first, but then I remembered. I sang to him. I just gave him a smile. That's all I could do, I didn't have anything to say.

I looked down for a moment then back up at him. "I'm sorry, Daryl."

He gave me a look. "Sorry fer what?"

"Fer movin' out and leavin' ya alone." I nervously tapped my fingers together. "When you left me when I was a kid, I was so sad. And then I did the same to you." I looked down sadly.

"Baby." He paused. "It's okay. Don't even worry about that, now. I been treatin' ya pretty unfair lately. I ain't been a good brother."

"Yes ya have! Yer the best brother ever! I'm stupid fer what I did. I don't care about—

"Le, listen to me." He cut me off. "Ya made a mistake, it was an accident and I took it out on ya. I'm sorry fer that, really I am."

"It's okay. You was just mad. I know ya get worried fer me and it comes out in anger."

"Don't try to make excuses fer me." He said. "It's not okay."

I just stared at him. He's never been like this before. I just nodded. "We both did and said thangs we shouldn't 'a." I admitted. "Let's just agree on that."

"Yeah, yer right." He nudged me and smirked.

I sat back and sighed. "So what do we do now?"

He was silent for a moment. "Let's get outta here."

"What do ya mean?"

"Let's leave this place and move on like we always do." He put his arm around me.

"No, Daryl, we cain't. Yer too weak yet. You was just unconscious yesterday."

"I'll be fine."

"No." I stood up. "A few more nights here. We ain't leavin' till I know yer better."

He snorted. "All right. Yes ma'am." I giggled.

"Although, I do thank we oughta move over to the apartment I was stayin' in."

"Why's that?" My brother gave me a questioning look.

"Cuz," I started to say, "there's glass all over the floor."

"Oh yeah." He said. "Guess yer right." We both laughed.

* * *

We moved all of our stuff into "my" apartment. We didn't have much besides our food and water and some personal supplies. I took all of my books of course. I left ones I finished next door, though for the next person who stays there. I have been doing that for a while now. I always leave a little note inside for whoever finds it.

Daryl and I sat on the couch eating some or the ready to eat meals for dinner. The one I had right now was mac 'n' cheese. I think Daryl had chili. Whatever it was, it smelled kind of gross. I didn't say anything to him about it, though.

"What was that song that ya sang to me?" My brother asked me after some time. I had to think for a moment about what he just asked me.

"It was called Little One by Highly Suspect." I stated. "Did ya like it?"

"Sure." He replied. "I like you sangin' it. It's kinda funny that you'd sang that to me."

"Why?"

"Cuz yer the little one." He smirked at me. I smiled back.

"Yeah, well…I thought it was very fittin'. Ya know, with everythang that's happened?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Ya really gotta nice voice, ya know that? How come ya never sang before? When you was little?"

"I did actually. Just not around you."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Ya never seemed like you would care about that."

He sighed. "Yeah, yer right. Back then I probably wouldn't 'a." He seemed to stare off into space after that. I wondered what he was thinking about and if he was okay?

"Daryl?" I waved a hand in front of his face. "Ya all right?"

He hesitated. "…yeah." He nodded.

"What was ya thankin' about?"

"Nothin'." He looked down. "Just…how thangs were. With us. And Merle. Dad and Uncle Jess." I felt a shiver go down my spine when he mentioned our dad.

"Yeah, you was a lot different back then."

"What do ya mean?"

I shrugged. "Ya just ain't how ya was 'fore."

"Well, yeah, what do ya mean? How was I?"

I had to think for a minute. He was mean and grumpy a lot to other people. My brother wasn't the friendliest person. He would flinch when someone touched him and would never look at no one in the eye. Kind of like me. He was kind of…immature. Can I tell him that without offending him? Probably not. I'll just back it up with something nice about how he is now.

"Le?" He questioned me. "I asked ya a question."

"…it was kinda like you was a kid." I finally said. "Like closer to my age." I paused because I became nervous. "…but you ain't like that no more. Yer a man now." I smiled. "The greatest one I know."

He looked like he got a little embarrassed after I said the second part. "Oh, hush up." He said with a smirk. "I ain't great. I ain't better than Rick."

"To me ya are." I smiled. "Yer my favorite person in the whole world."

"Am I really?"

"Uh huh." I grinned widely.

He chuckled. "Well, yer mine, too." He sat his plate down.

"But…I ain't been completely honest with ya."

"What do ya mean?"

I took a deep breath. "I thought I could handle myself now. I thought I'd be all right on my own. But…after that run I went on yesterday…I cain't." I looked up at him. "I need ya. I still need ya. I almost died. I kept wishin' that you'd come to my rescue."

He gave me a smile. "Ya didn't, though. Ya handled yerself. It was pretty smart 'a ya, too."

"Yeah, but…it coulda been worse." I looked down. "And…the passed few days been terrible. I had nightmares and got depressed. I hardly ate and slept at all. I thank I got separation anxiety. I read about it. I had a lot 'a the symptoms. I missed ya a lot." I said sadly.

"Well, Le…if that's true then why didn't ya just come back over?"

"Cuz."

"Cuz why?"

"Cuz I couldn't!" I said close to tears. "I wanted to show ya I could do this on my own."

"That's no excuse, little lady." He gave me a disappointed look. "It was effecting you in a bad way. What if somethin' woulda happened to ya, huh? How do ya thank I'd feel?"

I looked at the floor. "Sorry."

"Ya should be." He scolded. "Don't ever do that again, ya hear me?" I just nodded. "Good, now…come over here." I gave him a nervous look. "It's all right. Just come'er." I hesitated then moved closer to him. He grabbed me and made me sit on his lap. He laughed. "Ya ain't goin' nowhere's now." He hugged me tightly. I giggled. "You best stop leavin' me. 'Specially if ya thank ya got separation anxiety. That's bad fer you but good fer me."

"Why's it good fer you?" I asked him.

"Cuz now you have to stay with me ferever." We both laughed.

We stayed like that for a long time. It was really nice. I was so glad and relieved that we made up and got all of that out. I felt bad about lying to him about it before. I feel like Daryl and I are closer than ever, nothing can keep us apart. Not even each other.

"All right." My brother said and kissed my forehead. He loosened his grip on me. "You need to get some sleep. Ya said ya ain't slept. So, get to bed."

"Okay." I said smiling. I got off his lap and headed to my room. He swatted me in the process. "Night, Daryl." I said before going into the room.

"Night, baby."


	28. Best Of You

I yawned while walking into the other room. "Did ya get a good night's sleep?" My brother asked me. He was up before me. I wondered what time?

"Yeah. I feel so much better." I said sitting down on the couch.

"That's good cuz…we're leavin' today." He stated. I looked up at him.

"But you—

"I'm fine." He snapped. "Stop worryin' about me, all right? I'm fine."

"Okay." I said. "But don't ya thank we should stay at least fer another night?"

"Nah. I wanna get outta here as soon as possible."

"Why?" I gave him a weird look.

"Cuz I just do." He said walking out of the room. "Pack yer bag." I sighed, but grabbed my bag.

Everything I needed was shoved into my bag. After all of that, I sat on the floor writing my note in one of the books I was leaving behind. "Ya almost ready to go?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah, just gimme a minute." I said without looking up from the book. I finished and put my pen down. It read, _Recommended by Leann Rimes Dixon. This kept me busy while the dead roamed the earth. Hope it does the same for you._ I smiled at it. I left my mark.

"Come on, Le." Daryl called.

"Comin'!" I closed the book and pushed it aside then slung my bag over my shoulder. I caught up with my brother who was already out the door. He really wants to get out of here. I giggled to myself.

* * *

We left the town and walked around for a while. We weren't that far when my brother spotted a sign. "Look at that." He pointed. "Holiday Camplands. What do ya thank it is?" I gasped because I remembered the sign I saw the other day. I wanted to tell Daryl but forgot.

"Oh yeah!" I said excitedly. "I saw another sign back there. I fergot to tell ya about it!"

"Hm. Ya thank it's a community?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Probably."

"Well, only one way to find out fer sure." My brother said. I gave him a curious look. "Let's go?"

My eyes widened a bit. "Really?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He said. "Let's go." I grew excited. Maybe we can have another nice home.

* * *

The sign for that place had directions on it. We followed them and were still a bit far away. We found a truck at some point, though, so that helped a lot.

I had a lot of time to think as we traveled. Daryl drove and I was the navigator. I was getting better than before. I was excited about this Holiday Camplands place before, but as I thought more about it, I grew nervous. "Ya thank there's people there?" I finally asked my brother.

He glanced at me before answering then looked back at the road. "If it's a community then yeah." I sat back in my seat and didn't say anything else. "Why?" Daryl finally asked me. I gave him a nervous look.

"I'm worried about it." I admitted.

"Don't worry. No ones' gonna hurt ya. I'll make sure—

"That's not what I mean." I said cutting him off. "I'm talkin' about all the bad stuff that happened before. Like at Hampton Lake and then that college place. I got pretty bad luck, I thank."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. We won't let that happen again, ya hear me?" He said. "If anythang goes wrong, if ya just get a feelin' ya don't like these people, then we'll leave first thang, okay?"

"Promise?" I said sadly.

"Promise." He said. I believed him and gave him a small smile.

"Uh oh." I heard my brother say. I looked up from the map. Up ahead, there was a ton of walkers blocking the road.

"There's no way we'll get through 'em." I said.

"No." Daryl said. "We gotta take a detour." He began turning the truck around then stopped. "Lemme see that map?" I handed it to him. He stared at it for a while trying to figure out the best route to take. "All right, look." He said to me. "See this path right here?" He traced it with his finger. "I want ya to follow that, got it?"

"Yeah, I thank so." I said.

"I want ya to know so."

"I can do it."

"Good." He started driving again. "Let me know when we turn."

"It won't be fer a while yet." I stated looking down at the map. "We have to go back about two miles first."

"Good girl." He said to me. "It's gonna get dark soon. We're low on gas."

"Yeah." Was all I said.

* * *

We followed the detour accordingly and got back to where we needed to then started fresh. I told my brother which turns to make and such. Eventually, though, we ran out of gas.

We left the truck in the middle of the road and started out on foot. It was good while it lasted. This place isn't that much farther ahead, but it will be on foot. And I'm okay with that. I grew more nervous about it by the minute.

"I thank we should set up camp in the woods." Daryl said. "It's too dark now and we don't know if we'll find a place soon."

"Okay." I said.

We found a good enough spot and set up camp as best we could. I built a fire while Daryl set up the barrier of cans and stuff like that around the trees so we would hear if someone or something came by.

I cooked our dinners over the fire, we only had a few of these left. Best to eat them now while we're still on the road. "Foods ready." I called my brother. He came over and sat down on the log across from me. I handed him his food.

"Thanks, baby."

"These ain't as good as they were before." I said scrunching my nose up.

"Gettin' sick 'a them, huh?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Well…hopefully we only gotta do this fer another day or two." He said looking up at the night sky. "We'll leave bright and early tomorra and head fer that place."

"Okay." I swallowed nervously.

We were quiet for a while. I don't know about this. I felt so nervous now. What if this place is bad? What if they try to hurt or kill us? Or maybe it will just be like the other ones? Or worse…what if it's really nice and we stay there? Daryl and I will never be alone again. That scares me. This could be our last night we spend in the woods ever.

Maybe I can stall Daryl for as long as possible. I could fake an injury? Or fake being sick? I thought. No, don't do that. He'll just worry about you. I could just make us stop whenever we see some place worth checking out. I don't know. I sighed.

"Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked me.

"Nothin'."

"Don't gimme that. There's somethin'. What is it?"

I hesitated. "…this could be the last night we ever spend in the woods."

"Really? That's what's botherin' ya?"

"Yeah." I whined. "I like the time we spent together with just us."

"I liked it, too." He admitted.

"What if that never happens again?"

"Baby, it will always just be you and I, okay? And even if we do stay at this place, we're gonna have to go out on runs. You know I'll bring ya along. You know that."

"Yeah." I said. "But what if—

"Le!" He scolded me. "Quit worryin'. We didn't even get there yet. Fer all we know, this place might not even be there no more."

Oh yeah. I didn't even think of that. I relaxed. "Yer right." I said.

"Course I am." He chuckled. "Now…how 'bout ya keep watch while I sleep?"

"Really? Yer lettin' me keep watch? But what about what happened last time?"

"Don't care." My brother said. "Just do better this time."

I smiled at him. "Okay."

* * *

I stayed awake for a long time. I'm glad Daryl got some sleep. I jumped at every noise I heard, though. I pointed my gun ready to shoot in case I had to. Everything seemed to be all right, though. There was no sign of any people around…or walkers.

I sat back and tried to relax. Soon after, I felt tired so I had to reposition myself so I wouldn't get comfortable and fall asleep. I laid there and looked up at the night sky. There were a lot of stars out tonight, and it looked real nice.

I needed something to keep my mind off sleep. I can't go nowhere and leave Daryl and it was too dark to read so I thought of the only thing I could do right then. I started singing lowly.

 _"_ _I've got another confession to make_

 _I'm your fool_

 _Everyone's got their chains to break_

 _Holdin' you_

 _Were you born to resist or be abused?_

 _Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

 _Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

 _Are you gone and onto someone new?_

 _I needed somewhere to hang my head_

 _Without your noose_

 _You gave me something that I didn't have_

 _But had no use_

 _I was too weak to give in_

 _Too strong to lose_

 _My heart is under arrest again_

 _But I break loose_

 _My head is giving me life or death_

 _But I can't choose_

 _I swear I'll never give in_

 _I refuse_

 _Has someone taken your faith?_

 _Its real, the pain you feel_

 _You trust, you must_

 _Confess_

 _Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

 _Has someone taken your faith?_

 _Its real, the pain you feel_

 _The life, the love_

 _You die to heal_

 _The hope that starts_

 _The broken hearts_

 _You trust, you must_

 _Confess_

 _Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

 _Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

 _I've got another confession my friend_

 _I'm no fool_

 _I'm getting tired of starting again_

 _Somewhere new_

 _Were you born to resist or be abused?_

 _I swear I'll never give in_

 _I refuse_

 _Has someone taken your faith?_

 _Its real, the pain you feel_

 _You trust, you must_

 _Confess_

 _Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?"_

I finished the song and sighed. There was a brief pause.

"That's nice." I heard Daryl say. I looked over at him, he rolled over to face me and smiled.

"Sorry." I told him. "I didn't mean to wake ya."

"Ya didn't. I was tryin' to get to sleep."

"Why didn't tell me to shut up?"

"Cuz I like hearin' ya sang." He said. "And 'sides, I don't really sleep that much no more."

"Me neither." I looked down. Another silence.

"What was that song?" My brother asked me.

I smiled. "It was Best of You by Foo Fighters."

"Ya seem to sang their songs a lot."

"Yeah, well…they was one 'a my favorite bands." I pointed out.

"How come ya never liked country?"

"I like country. I'm named after a country sanger after all." I giggled. "I just…like rock better." I shrugged.

"That's fine." Daryl said. I smiled at him. I didn't know what else to say so we were both quiet for a minute.

"You should try to get some sleep." I told my brother. "I got this. And…we gotta do more travelin' tomorra."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "Wish we still had that damn truck." He said rolling back over.

"Me too." I said quietly. I threw a stick in the fire.


	29. Old Friends

**Big surprise at the end of this chapter! :O**

* * *

I stayed awake all night and kept watch while my brother slept. I redeemed myself from last time. I only had to kill one walker. It came walking by, I heard it from a distance and prepared myself. Once it came into the view I immediately killed it. I tried to be as quiet as possible so I wouldn't wake up Daryl. I really wanted him to sleep. He earned it. He's always doing a lot for the both of us. Plus, he just got injured pretty badly.

We got up bright in early the next day, just like my brother said we would. "Tired?" He asked me.

"A little."

"Well, we can stop fer a rest whenever. There's no rush." Daryl said stretching. "I'm proud 'a you." He smiled. I just smiled back.

"Guess we should get goin'." I said.

* * *

"I spy somethin' yella." I said while we were walking.

"It's the sign."

"Yeah."

"Good one." Daryl said sarcastically. I giggled.

"There's nothin' out here."

"Play a different game then."

"How 'bout twenty questions?"

"Ugh. Let's not and say we did."

I laughed. "Let's just talk then. I don't know what about, though."

My brother sighed and looked at the sky. "It might rain."

"No, it ain't." I shook my head. "It's just cloudy today. It won't rain cuz my knee don't hurt."

"Okay, Leann. That don't always work."

"Yeah huh!"

"We'll see."

"Yeah, we will see." I said with a smirk and crossed my arms in front of my chest. Then, I thought I saw something through the trees. "Hey, look." I pointed.

"Looks like houses or somethin'." We got a little closer and saw a sign for cottages. That must be what those houses are. "Let's check 'em out." I said.

My brother gave me a weird look. "Le, we still got plenty 'a daylight left."

"So?" I said. "Holiday Camplands ain't that much farther. We should stop somewhere again 'fore we get there."

"Sure." He sighed. "Whatever ya want."

We went down the road that the cottages were on. If we continued straight, that's the way to the place we were headed, but we went left instead to the cottages. "That one looks nice." I pointed.

"Check it out."

"Kay." I ran up to it with my gun up. After looking in the window and not seeing anything, I knocked on the window. I waited a little and when nothing happened, I went in. I checked around inside for safe keeping. It was clear.

There was a room that had four bunk beds. I found that interesting for some reason. There was another bedroom, a master bedroom I believe. There was a living room, kitchen and bathroom. It was a nice little cottage. I saw my brother looking at a picture on the wall in the living room. He looked over when he heard me walk in the room. "Hey, ya never told me it was it clear."

"Oh, sorry. Musta fergot."

"That's all right. Just remember next time." He told me.

I walked towards a rack that had a bunch of movies. I couldn't believe what I found! "Look, Daryl!" I showed him. "A portable DVD player!"

"Yeah? So, what?"

"We can watch a movie!" I said excitedly. "Can we watch one later? Huh, can we?"

"Ugh." My brother said. "Sure."

"Yay!" I jumped up and hugged him. He chuckled.

* * *

Once we got situated and ate dinner, we sat down on the couch to watch a movie on the portable DVD player. "You can pick the movie, just don't pick a chick flick."

"I never would." I said annoyed that he would even think that.

I dug through the movie stack. "What about this one?"

"Nah." Daryl said.

"Okay, well…what about…this one?" I held up another.

"Looks gay."

I giggled. "And this one?"

"No."

I sighed. "Why don't you just pick the movie then?"

"Cuz I won't pick one."

"All right, fine." I huffed. "Then, I'm pickin' a random movie and puttin' it on."

"Fine."

"Mmm…here." I grabbed one called, _Legends of the Fall._ I popped it in the disc tray and pressed play. It seemed pretty boring at first.

* * *

"Why's that little girl wanna marry that older man?" I questioned my brother.

"I don't know."

"It's weird."

A little later in the movie. "So, she did end up marryin' him."

"Apparently." My brother said.

"This is a weird movie."

"Well, you picked it."

"I know."

A litte later. "…she just died. She caused all those problems fer them and she just died?" I said sounding annoyed.

"Yeah. Dumb bitch." He said. I gave my brother a shocked look. "Not you the girl in the movie!"

"Oh okay." I giggled.

A little later. "How long is this damn movie?" Daryl asked roughly.

"Pretty damn long."

A little later when the movie finally ended. "That's how it ends?" I questioned. "We don't even get to know if…" I trailed off.

"What a dumb movie. I cain't believe I wasted my time watchin' it."

"I never wanna see that movie again." I said wide-eyed still staring at the screen. After a minute, we both laughed. I closed the DVD player and pushed it aside.

"So, what now?" My brother asked.

"We could play a game?"

"Nah, I'm done with games."

"Me too." I looked down.

It was quiet for a long time. I started thinking about Holiday Camplands again and got nervous. I'm glad we stopped here, this definitely stalled us. Bought us some time. I wonder how long I can keep Daryl here. I wonder how long it will be before he gets suspicious of me. My brother is smart. He'll figure it out eventually.

"Hey, Daryl?" I finally said.

"Hm?"

"…maybe…maybe we don't have to go to this place." I said earning a look from my brother. "Maybe we could just stay here. Like we said before, it's just us now. I know you and you know me, so…we don't really need no one else." I finished. Daryl blinked at me in confusion.

"…well," he started, "we can do whatever ya want, sissy. You know I'll do what ya want. I don't care about no one else but you." He paused. "But…you ain't just sayin' this cuz yer scared, are ya?"

"Yes." I admitted. "I'm worried about the people. I know what ya said before, but I don't wanna get my hopes up like the other times and then everythang gets ruined."

My brother sighed and turned to face me better. "Baby…listen, that's fine. I understand how ya feel, but I thank we should try at least. Ya never know what could happen. This might be a good thang. I just want what's best fer ya and want ya to be safe." He put his arm around me. "Help me keep ya safe."

I thought about what he just said and he's right. I should do this for him, if I don't want to do it for myself. "Sure." I smiled. "Sure, let's go. In the mornin' I mean."

"Okay." Daryl said and kissed my forehead. "Good, now…come sit with me." I moved closer to my brother and snuggled up against him. "That's it." He wrapped his arms around me. "Everythang's gonna be all right. You'll see. Don't ya worry."

I am worried, but I'm willing to try at least.

* * *

"Check out the bridge!" I said excitedly and pointed. There was a bridge ahead with big water under it! It looked amazing! Almost like how I pictured the ocean. I never been to the ocean before. I kind of always wanted to.

"Looks nice, don't it?"

"Yeah, sure does!" As we walked across the bridge, we saw a sign that said, _Welcome to Andover, Ohio!_ I got excited. "We made it, Daryl! It should be up ahead."

"Yeah." He chuckled at me. We approached a sign that said we were very close to Holiday Camplands. It was just down the road at the end of the bridge. We're supposed to turn right.

"It's too bad we're so close to Holiday Camplands." I said to my brother. "I kinda wanna see the water."

"Well, let's do it." Daryl said.

"Really?" I perked up.

"Yeah, why not? Hell, let's go fer a swim."

"I thank it's a little too cold to swim."

"So? It ain't gonna kill ya." He said holding out his hand. "Come on." I took his hand while smiling and we walked down to the shore.

I took my jacket off along with my shoes and socks. Walking over to the water, I dipped a toe in. "Burrrr!" I yelled and shivered. "It's freezin'."

"It is, ain't it?"

"I don't know about this."

"Huh." My brother said. "Suit yerself." He jumped in. I gasped.

"Oh my God, Daryl! I cain't believe ya just did that!"

"Come on in!" He yelled at me.

"Fine." I said and jumped in too. It was freezing. I shivered immediately. "Too cold." I said through chattered teeth.

"Come'er. I'll warm ya up." Daryl said. I walked closer to him and hugged him. Then, he lifted me and threw me into the water.

"Hey!" I said once I emerged. "You tricked me!" He stood there laughing. I splashed him the face. He laughed even harder. I laughed along with him.

We ended up having a really nice time despite how cold the water was.

* * *

Daryl and I sat on the shore after we were done swimming. We wanted to dry off a little before we went on to this camp. We sat, talked and ate snacks.

"Ya still scared?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Me too."

I gave him a questioning look. "Yer scared, Daryl? But you ain't never scared?"

"Nah, I do. I just don't show it."

"How come?" I looked at him innocently.

He sighed. "Gotta be tough. If yer scared and I'm scared then who's gonna take care 'a thangs?"

I thought about what he just said. "Guess yer right." I leaned back. "Hey, maybe some time…I'll be tough so you can be scared fer once." I smiled at him.

"Okay." He let out a small laugh. "Come'er." He hugged me tightly. "Love ya so much ya don't even know."

"Well, I love you more!"

"I doubt that." He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "Come on, I thank yer dry enough."

"Yeah, we better get a move on." I said. "I wanna get there before dark."

"Oh, we got plenty 'a time. But yeah, yer right." Daryl stood up and brushed himself off then helped me up. He brushed off the back of me. "Let's go."

* * *

We finally arrived at the gates of Holiday Camplands. We stood there just looking at it. The nervous feeling in my belly was back. I swallowed hard. "Ya ready?" Daryl asked me. I just nodded. He grabbed my hand and we started walking again.

There was a man in a booth in front of the gate. "Stop right there." He said. We stopped.

"We're here fer sanctuary." Daryl said.

"Are ya now?" The man questioned us. "Ya don't plan on robbin' us do ya?"

My brother hesitated. "…no, we don't."

"Really?" He asked. "…you two been on the road a long time?"

"Yes." I said. "Yes, we have."

There was a long pause. "Come on in." The man finally said. He opened the gates for us. We slowly stepped inside. "Welcome to Holiday Camplands." The man said again. "I'm Gary." I was surprised at how fast he let us in.

My brother nodded. "I'm Daryl. This is my baby sister, Leann."

"Nice to meet you." Gary greeted. "Where you two from anyway?"

"Atlanta." Daryl replied. "Georgia."

"Wow." Gary said. "That's funny. We got a few folks here that came from Atlanta, Georgia, too. They arrived a while back. One guy said he used to be a cop or somethin'."

My brother and I shared a look. It couldn't be, could it? "Wait…is his name Rick?" Daryl asked. "Rick Grimes?"

The man gave us a shocked look. "Yeah. It is."

My brother and I shared another look. It can't be! I don't believe it!

* * *

 **Well...how about that? Were you expecting it? Please review and tell me what you think!**


	30. Learn To Fly

We told Gary that we knew Rick Grimes and said he would take us to where he and the others were staying. I got so excited when he said "others." Does that mean everyone else is okay, too? One can only hope.

I looked around as Gary drove. This place was huge! Everyone lived in trailers and other mobile homes. "Yeah, this place was around before the turn." Gary told us. "Me and some other guys that lived in the area thought it would be a perfect place. So, we put the walls up and shortly after people just started coming in different directions looking for shelter. We figured we might as well try to help people. I mean…why just have it be the few of us when we can create a community." Gray paused. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes, exactly." I smiled. Then, there was a brief pause.

"So, how do you know these people?" Gary asked us. "Did you know each other before?"

"We didn't know each other before." Daryl said. "We all met after."

"Well, that's nice. Hope you enjoy yourselves here." Gary said then pointed. "It's just up ahead. They're on…Apache. 305 Apache, I believe."

"Just drop us here." My brother said.

"Ya sure? I can take you right to their trailer?"

"No, that's fine. We'll walk."

Gary stopped the truck and Daryl looked back at me. "Come on, Le." We hopped out.

"Thanks fer the ride." I waved to Gary. We watched him drive away. I looked up at my brother. "What'd ya do that fer?"

"Cuz I wanted us to do this on our own."

"Oh, okay." I agreed. Daryl put his arm around me and walked down the street.

"Well, there it is." Daryl said. "305 Apache."

"Yeah." I said looking up at it. My brother took a step forward but I stopped him. "Wait." I grabbed his arm, he looked down at me. "I'm nervous."

"Me too." Daryl nodded and pushed my hair back. "But we gotta do it."

"I know." I said taking a deep breath.

"Ya ready?"

"Yeah." I nodded. My brother grabbed my hand and we walked up to the trailer. There was a ramp that led up to a screened in porch. We knocked on it and heard footsteps shortly after. I looked up at my brother and smiled in excitement. They are going to be so surprised when they see us.

My excitement faded when a tall man with red hair walked outside and up to the screen door. I gave Daryl a questioning look. "Can I help ya?" The man said when we didn't say anything.

"Uh…no, sorry. We must have the wrong place." Daryl said. "We're lookin' fer someone."

"But sorry to bother you." I chimed in. "We'll be outta yer way now." We turned to leave.

"Who'd ya say you were lookin' for?" The redheaded man said.

We stopped and turned back around. We shared a look before answering. "We didn't." Daryl said. "But his name's Rick Grimes."

"You know Rick?" The man said opening the door and stepped out.

"Yeah." I said. "Do you?"

"Yeah." He paused. "What are your names?"

"I'm Leann and this is Daryl."

He nodded. "I'm Abraham." He stopped and seemed like he was looking us over. "Rick lives across the street." He pointed with his chin.

We looked at the trailer behind us. "Oh, okay." I smiled. "Thank you."

"I can call him over if ya want?"

"Sure." My brother said.

Abraham pulled out his walkie and said into it, "ay, Rick? You're gonna wanna see this."

"What's that?" Rick said on the other end. I smiled up at my brother. So, it really is true!

"There's some people over here that claim they know you. They're names are Daryl and Leann. You know 'em?" Abraham finished. There was silence on the other end then we heard a noise behind us like a door swinging open. There stood Rick on the porch looking right over at us.

For a moment, it seemed as though time itself stopped as we just stared at each other. Then, we made our way over to each other. Rick had a look of pure shock on his face. Like he wanted to ask, "is it really you?"

Suddenly, Rick and my brother hugged! My brother never hugs anyone, except me of course. "My God." Rick said. Then, he smiled down at me. I hugged him tight around the neck and he lifted me off the ground a little and kissed my cheek. It was sweet. I giggled.

Carl and Michonne then emerged from the trailer as well. I looked up at my brother with excitement. Rick nodded. "Carol?" My brother asked Rick.

"Yes." He replied with a smile.

"Glenn and Maggie?" I asked. He nodded again. I couldn't believe it! They're all okay!

* * *

"How?" Rick asked us. We were in their trailer eating and drinking sodas. Rick had called the others over. We were now all reunited and even met some of the new people. We found out that most of the newer people we had at the prison didn't make it. Tyreese also did not.

We were having a cookout and a little celebration with everyone. "We just kept travelin' north." Daryl stated. We saw the signs fer this place and figured we'd check it out."

"It's a good thang we did." I said and smiled at my brother.

Daryl looked at me for a moment then said, "tried like hell to find a decent home. Everywhere was no good."

"Sounds like you had the same trip we did." Rick said.

"How is this place?" I asked wanting to change the subject.

Rick sighed. "It's good." He nodded. "It's good."

"Good to know." Daryl said.

"I'll show you guys around tomorrow, if you want?" Rick offered. "It's kinda late now. This place is bigger than it looks."

"That's what I said." I said rolling my eyes. Everyone laughed.

"You two must be tired." Carol said. "The trailer next door is available. You can stay there."

"Thanks." My brother said. "But we don't know if we're stayin'."

"What?" I said and looked up at my brother with an incredulous look along with everyone else.

"Kiddin'." He held his hands. "I'm just kiddin'." I exhaled in relief and lightly smacked my brother's arm. Everyone laughed.

* * *

Our trailer had one small bedroom and a room in the back that had four bunk beds. It was a pretty nice little home, it was even nicer now that we were back with our people. I still couldn't believe it.

I was able to shower in the trailer. It was a very tight space, but I didn't care. I didn't want to have to go down to the public showers and shower with other people. Not after what happened last time.

Once I was done with my shower, I brushed my teeth for the longest time and then got into bed. I choose one of the bunk beds. I liked it because it was it's own little space. I could close the door for privacy and everything.

"Hey." My brother said walking into the room. "Ya all right?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "Sure am." He chuckled.

He paused and looked around. "Mind if I bunk in here with you tonight?"

"Of course not." I smiled. He sat down on the bed across from me.

"Cain't believe this."

"I know I'm still in shock." I put my hands behind my head. "I thank I like this place."

Daryl snorted. "We just got here."

"I know, but…I just gotta good feelin' about it."

He nodded. "Me too, Sissy. Me too." He leaned over and kissed my forehead, I smiled. "Get some sleep." He said getting into bed.

"Yeah, you too." I said. "No one has to keep watch fer once."

"Yeah." He chuckled.

Things quieted down after that. I repositioned myself and got comfortable. What I said to Daryl was the truth, I really do have a good feeling about this place. I think we finally found a home. And to think, I didn't even want to come here. I smiled to myself.

"Le?" I heard Daryl say.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too." I smiled at him even though it was too dark for him to see me.

* * *

The next day, Rick showed us around on a golf cart. The look on my brother's face when he first told us was so funny! Everybody here has one apparently. It's our main transport for this community. It's way better than walking.

"Up here is the main bathrooms and showers. There's also the pool, courtyard and clubhouse." Rick said.

"There's a pool?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah, why don't you and Carl come down later?" Rick said. "It's a warmer day today and it's gonna get cold soon so you might as well."

"All right!" I said happily. "Okay, Daryl?"

"I don't care." He said.

"That little place right there," Rick pointed, "they have concerts there every friday night, which is today."

I perked up a little. "Ya mean…like people sang here?"

"Yeah." Rick said. "I'm not sure how it works, though. I haven't gone to any yet." I got a little excited and looked down at the ground. Maybe I can sing one night? I didn't miss the smirk my brother gave me. He knows what I'm thinking. "Here's the beautiful lake." Rick showed us.

"Wow!" I said. "There's a fountain in it."

"Yeah." Rick chuckled. "This place is fancy." He rode us around some more. "That's pretty much all the main places. I'll show you around the neighborhood. Just so you can know the streets."

I realized my brother was being pretty quiet. "Daryl?" I said. "You okay? Ya been real quiet."

"…just a lot to take in."

"Yeah, it's kinda overwhelming." Rick said. "It was for me, too. But…you'll get used to it after a while." Rick paused and looked back at me. "How 'bout later on, I teach ya how to drive this. I taught Carl."

"Okay!" I got even more excited.

Rick chuckled. "As long as it's all right with Daryl."

"Won't catch me arguin'." Was all he said.

"Yes!" I said.

* * *

"First thang ya do is put the key in and start it." Rick said handing me the keys. I stuck it in the ignition and turned it to, "on." "Okay, now…see this little thang down here?" He pointed. "Right now, it's in neutral because we're parked, so you wanna put it to reverse."

I pressed it and heard a beeping sound. "Like that?"

"Yup. Now, just slowly back it up." He informed me. I put my foot on the gas and slowly backed up like he told me. Once we were in the road, I took my foot off.

"What do I do now?"

"Push this button and put it in forward, then you can drive." He said. I pushed the button then stepped on the gas again. We began moving forward. I looked at Rick and smiled. "Are you floored? Push all the way down on it." I had to scoot up on the edge of the seat because of how short I am and pushed the gas down hard. We began moving faster. "That's it." Rick said. "Now, when we get up to this stop sign up here, just stop a minute."

I did once we approached it. "I gotta teach you the turn signals now." He said. "When you wanna go left, which is the way we're going, you just stick your arm straight out so the other drivers can see." He showed me. "And if you're goin' right, you just hold your up like this and bend it."

"Okay, I thank I got it." I said. "So, we're goin' left?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Hey, that's what my brother always say to me." I smiled. I held my arm out like he showed me and turned. "If there's no one there, do I still have to use turn signals?"

"Yes, you do." He said. "There are rules here just like before. If you get caught breaking them, then you lose your driving privileges."

"Just me?" I questioned.

"No, everyone. The owner of the place will confiscate your vehicle."

"What's that mean?"

"They'll take it away."

"Oh." I said. "Don't worry about me. I'll follow the rules." I said still driving around.

"Good to hear." Rick said. "Let's head back now. You and Carl can go down to the pool now if you want."

"Okay." I turned the cart around and headed back to the trailer.

* * *

Carl and walked up to the pool. We weren't allowed to take the cart for some reason. Rick said he didn't want us using it yet on our own. I was able to find a bathing suit up at the little shop near the main entrance of the camp. The people who go out on runs take everything to the shop and store it there. It's a pretty neat idea if you ask me.

"So, do you like this place?" I asked Carl.

"Yeah, I think it's all right." He said. "I want you to meet a few people. They're always up here so you should get to see them now."

"Oh okay."

We arrived at the pool and went inside. There was only a few people here. We sat our stuff down on the chairs and then sat for a minute before going in the water. "Oh here they come now." Carl pointed to the kids walking in. There were two boys and two girls. "Hey!" Carl called. "Over here." The kids walked over to us.

"Hey, Carl." One of the boys said.

"I want you guys to meet my friend Leann. We knew each other from the start but got split up. Her and her brother just showed up yesterday."

"Hi." I waved. They all said hi back.

"That's Caden and Travis. And that's Kylie and Lindsey." Carl stated. They all seemed pretty nice and friendly.

"So, what should we do today?" Travis asked.

"I don't know." Kylie replied. "I kinda just wanna swim."

"Let's all jump in together!" Lindsey said.

"We have to go two at a time, remember?" Carl said.

"Oh yeah." Lindsey said and crossed her arms. "Poo." I almost wanted to laugh.

"Let's play Dive or Cannonball!" Kylie said.

"How do ya play that?" I asked.

"It's real simple." Kylie said. "Two people line up over there and one dives and the other does cannonball. The rest of the people have to guess which one is doing which."

"Oh." I said. "That sounds fun."

"We'll do a practice so you can see how it's done." Caden said.

"Okay." I stayed back and watched them. Lindsey whispered something into Kylie's ear then they said they were ready.

"I say Kylie dives and Lindsey cannonballs." Caden said.

"I second that." Travis said.

"I think the opposite." Carl said.

"All right, we're ready!" Travis yelled.

"One, two, three!" The girls counted in unison then ran and jumped in. Turns out Carl was right. Lindsey dove in and Kylie did a cannonball.

"Who won?" Kylie asked once they emerged from the water.

"Carl." I said.

"You think you got the hang of it?" Travis asked me.

"Yeah, it's pretty simple." I said.

"Great." He said. "You can go with me."

"Okay." I shrugged.

Travis and I lined up on the orange line that was painted on the concrete. "I'll do a cannonball." I whispered to him.

"All right." He nodded. "We're ready!"

"Us too!" Carl called.

We counted to three in unison then jumped in. I laughed as soon as we came up from the water. "Who guessed right?"

"Lindsey and I were right." Caden called.

The six of us continued playing for a long time. Even though it was a simple game and sounded kind of dumb, it was actually really fun. I had a really good time. I liked these kids, they were different. I mean…Lindsey was kind of annoying, but the others were okay. There was no talk of parties, alcohol, drugs or sex. It was just…innocent. I liked it better that way. My brother is always calling me a kid and I realized today that I am one. I won't be soon so I should make the most of while I can. That's what Daryl has been trying to tell me all along.

"So, will you guys be at the concert tonight?" Kylie asked us when we were done swimming.

"Oh, I don't know." I said.

"We'll be there." Carl said. I gave him a look.

"Cool!" She said. "See ya then!"

"Yeah, bye." Carl called to them.

"Why'd ya do that?" I asked him as we were walking back home.

"'Cause, it's fun. You'll like it a lot."

"Maybe." I shrugged. I debated on whether to tell him the next part. "…so, I was thankin'…I might sang."

"Really? You can sing?" He asked me. I shyly nodded. "You should definitely do it then."

"I don't know." I let out a small laugh.

"We'll take a vote once we get back to the trailer."

* * *

"Who thinks Le should sing at the concert tonight?" Carl asked everyone. They all put their hands up. I looked shyly looked at the ground.

"Does she want to?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know." I answered.

"Oh, come on!" Glenn yelled. "You can do it!"

"Yeah, do it!" Sasha yelled.

"Yeah, but…"

"Don't worry. She's gonna do it." My brother said.

"Daryl!"

"Come on, baby." He said. "Do it fer me."

"But, Daryl…

"I want you to." He whispered to me. "It's okay. You can do it."

I thought for a minute. It wasn't that I was nervous, it was just that…the last time I sang in front of a crowd was before all this. The only person who's heard me sing now is my brother. I should change that. "Okay." I nodded. "I'll do it."

* * *

I stood in the crowd and listened to the other bands play. They were pretty good. Not professionally good, but they were good. "All right." A man said into the mic after the current band was done playing. "Let's get some more people here so we can have a fun night! Who else wants to sing? It can be solo, duet, with the band, whatever you want."

"Go on." My brother gave me a nudge forward. I looked back at him, he gave me a gesture to go up then I slowly walked up to the man.

"Well, hello there." The man said. "Are going to sing for us?"

"Yeah." I said nervously.

"And what song are you going to sing?"

"Um…Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters."

"All right." He let out a small laugh. He yelled something to the band then turned back to me. "And what is your name?"

"Leann, but please call me Le."

"Okay." He turned to the crowd. "This Le." He said into the mic. "She's going to sing Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters for us!"

"Yeah! Woohoo!" I heard my people yell. I had to smile.

"Whenever you're ready." He said.

I took a deep breath." All right." I said. The music started playing for me and I waited for my cue.

 _"_ _Run and tell all of the angels_

 _This could take all night_

 _Think I need a devil to help me_

 _Get things right"_

I looked down at the crowd, I saw my brother smiling at me and smiled back. Suddenly, all nervousness was gone. I continued singing.

 _"_ _'Cause this one is a lie_

 _We sat around laughing_

 _And watch the last one die_

 _I'm looking to the sky to save me_

 _Looking for a sign of life_

 _Looking for something to help me burn out bright"_

The crowd cheered loudly for me, which boosted my confidence even more. I was brought back to the first time I sang at that karaoke night. Things were bad back then with my home life and everything. Bad things still happened after, too. It was like Daryl and I couldn't escape it. But they're better now.

 _"_ _I'm looking for a complication_

 _Looking 'cause I'm tired of trying_

 _Make my way back home_

 _When I learn to fly (high)_

 _Think I'm done nursing the patience_

 _I can wait one night_

 _I'd give it all away_

 _If you give me one last try_

 _We live happily ever trapped_

 _If you just save my life_

 _Run and tell the angels_

 _That everything is all right_

 _I'm looking to the sky to save me_

 _Looking for a sign of life_

 _Looking for something to help me burn out bright_

 _I'm looking for a complication_

 _Looking 'cause I'm tired of trying_

 _Make my way back home_

 _When I learn to fly (high)_

 _Fly along with me_

 _I can't quite make it alone_

 _Try to make this life my own_

 _Fly along with me_

 _I can't quite make it alone_

 _Try to make this life my own_

 _I'm looking to the sky to save me_

 _Looking for a sign of life_

 _Looking for something to help me burn out bright_

 _I'm looking for a complication_

 _Looking 'cause I'm tired of trying_

 _Make my way back home_

 _When I learn to fly (high)"_

 _Make my way back home_

 _When I learn to fly_

 _Make my way back home_

 _When I learn to…"_

I finished the song and everyone in the crowd cheered loudly for me. The only thing I could do was laugh. "Wow!" The man said back up on stage. "That was amazing, wasn't it?" The crowd answered his questioned by cheering.

"Thanks, everyone." I waved. They cheered some more as I hopped down off the stage. I immediately ran to my brother who hugged me tightly and lifted me. I giggled. The others patted me on the back and gave me compliments.

"That was so good, Sissy!" Daryl said. I just smiled shyly back.

I thought for a minute. "Ya know somethin', Daryl?"

"What?"

"We belong here." I smiled. He smiled back at me.

"I wanna hear an encore from that girl!" The man said making me look back up. "Who's with me?" The crowd cheered. I gave my brother a confused look.

"They want ya to do another song, baby." He told me.

"Fer real?"

"Yeah! Go!" He lifted me back onto the stage.

"You guys really want me to sing again?" I asked. The crowd continued to cheer loudly. "Well…all right." I shrugged. I adjusted the mic and cleared my throat. "This is called Run by Foo Fighters."

* * *

 _I'm looking to the sky to save me_

 _Looking for a sign of life_

 _Looking for something to help me burn out bright"_

 _I'm looking for a complication_

 _Looking 'cause I'm tired of trying_

 _Make my way back home_

 _When I learn to fly (high)_

* * *

 **The End**

 **PLEASE READ:**

 **Hello everyone! That's it! That's the end! I ended it how I ended the first one, which is actually how it started! I hope you liked it! BUT, WAIT...it's not completely over yet! There's still an epilogue! So, stay tuned for that! :D However,** **please give me a review and tell me what you thought of this story! :D Thanks!**


	31. Epilogue

**One year later, some time in December**

"Ready?" I yelled to Carl.

"Yeah, let's do it!" He said.

"One, two, three!" We counted in unison then ran on the pool deck, we slid on the ice that was the pool. We went all the way across laughing the whole way.

"I went farther than you that time." Carl said.

"Yeah, yeah." I said. "Whatever."

"Hey, you two!" We heard a voice say. It was the grumpy old man that lives nearby. He's always yelling at everyone about everything. "Get off 'a there!" We ran away while laughing. "Oh, you dirty rats!" He yelled making us laugh harder.

I tightened my coat around me as we walked home. "It sure gets cold here up north." I said through chattered teeth.

"Yeah." Carl said. "Oh…do you want my jacket?"

"No." I almost laughed. "Then, you won't have anythang to keep ya warm."

"I'm a man. We don't get cold." We both laughed.

"No, that's okay. Keep yer jacket." I assured him. "We're almost home anyway."

* * *

"So, I was thinking," Carol started, "why don't we have a real Christmas this year?"

"You mean with decorations and presents?" Carl asked her.

"Yeah, why not? We can cook up a nice Christmas meal." She said. "It will be a nice thing for the kids." I looked down at Judith and Hershel Jr. playing on the floor of the porch.

"That's a great idea." Rick said.

"You can count me in." Michonne chimed in. I was about to say something but Daryl spoke first.

"You can count me out." Daryl said roughly. "I ain't havin' no dumb fake Christmas."

"Why not?" Glenn asked.

"Cuz it's stupid, that's why."

"And what about Le?" Michonne asked.

"Le's seventeen." Daryl said. "She can do whatever she wants."

"What to you say, Le?" Carol asked me. "You wanna help us celebrate?" I glanced at my brother then back at her.

"Sure, yeah." I smiled. My brother snorted and walked away.

"Great." Said Rick. "Carl and I will go get a tree."

* * *

Later on that day, Carl, Glenn, Maggie and I decorated the tree while Carol, Michonne and Sasha made Christmas cookies and other goodies. Rick and Abraham strung lights around the trailer roof. Judith and Hershel Jr. colored pictures to hang around inside the trailers.

We were having a lot of fun decorating the tree. Glenn wrapped me up in garland and I couldn't hardly move. We all laughed. Then, we argued over who should put the star on top of the tree. I said Carl should do it since he's the youngest and the others agreed. It was a really nice moment.

I remembered at one point, I looked over and saw my brother looking at me. He had a weird look on his face. I couldn't figure out what his expression meant. "Here, Le." Maggie handed me another ornament. I took it and put it on the tree somewhere. When I looked back, Daryl was gone. I didn't think much of it, though.

Once the tree was all decorated, we stood back and admired our work. "Looks great." Glenn said.

"I think it's the best tree ever." Said Carl.

"Yeah." Maggie said. "I wish Beth and my dad were here to celebrate with us." I gave her a sad look.

"They would've loved it." Glenn said embracing Maggie, he kissed her cheek. Those two are good together.

"Well," I said, "I better start gift shoppin' if we're doin' a gift exchange."

"Just yer Secret Santa." Maggie said.

"I know." I nodded then headed out.

* * *

I left the camplands and walked down the street. There was a liquor store just down the road from camp. My Secret Santa that I had to get a gift for was Abraham. I didn't know him _too_ well, but I always see him drinking. You can't go wrong with alcohol anyway.

I walked inside the liquor store. It was practically empty. I could have just went to the shop that's inside the camp, but I wanted to do my shopping more privately. Abraham likes beer and whiskey. That's lucky because I found a very fancy looking bottle of whiskey. I looked at the price on it. "Hmm." I said. "Expensive." That was good enough for me. I shoved it in my bag.

There was a dollar store across the street, I found some coloring books and stuff like that I want to give to the babies. I know we're only supposed to get something for our Secret Santa, but I wanted to get them something, too.

There's still one more person I really want to get a gift for. I thought while leaving the dollar store. My brother never got anything for Christmas before. I wanted to get him something, and not just anything, it had to be real special. I had to think hard about it. There's not a lot of things that my brother is into.

I remembered seeing a shop a while back that had like tribal items. I walked inside and began looking around. There were tons of cool things inside like, little figurines, jewelry and even attire. None of them screamed "Daryl", though. I sighed while still looking around. I almost started crying because I really need to get him something special, something that not only he will like but has meaning.

I walked up to the counter and looked at the things on display behind the glass. Once again, there were tons of cool things, but nothing that I thought Daryl would like. But then…I spotted an assortment of rocks that caught my interest. The sign read: _Worry Stones._ I suddenly had a thought. _That's perfect!_

I grabbed the stone I wanted and a few other items off the rack, like beads and a chain. I think this is going to work. I dropped the items in my bag and headed back to Holiday Camplands.

* * *

As soon as I got back to my trailer, I sat my bag in on my bed. I'll take of care of assembly and wrapping later. "Leann Rimes Dixon." I heard my brother call me as soon as I walked into the other room. "Get yer ass in here." He didn't sound angry, he sounded normal so I was confused. I quickly walked in his room. Daryl was sitting on the bed, he didn't look angry either.

"Am—am I in trouble?" I asked nervously. "Am I late? You said to get home before dark, I didn't think it was late—

"Calm down, Le, ya ain't in trouble."

"Oh." I stared at him. He was just sitting there, he looked strange. I never saw him like that before.

"Com'er." He beckoned me. I moved a little closer and he pulled me down onto his lap then hugged me tightly to him. My eyes moved back and forth in their sockets. I thought it was weird because he hasn't done that in so long.

"Is everythang okay? Are—" I realized that my brother was crying. "Oh my God, Daryl, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." He finally spoke.

"Fer what? You ain't done nothin' to me."

"I…I kept ya from it."

I was officially confused. "From what? What are ya talkin' about, Daryl?"

"I never…never thought ya cared about stuff like that, but…after I saw how happy ya looked when you was decoratin' that tree…I knew what an ass I been." He said sadly. I just listened to what he was saying. "I woulda done that fer you, I'd do anythang fer you cuz…you mean everythang to me. I want you to have a life, to be able to do and have thangs I didn't. It's all fer you."

"Daryl…" I trailed off. "It's okay. It's not yer fault, I knew we couldn't do things like that before. But I also know if you could've ya would." I hugged him tightly around the neck. "Please don't feel bad. It makes me feel bad."

"I want ya to have a normal life."

"I know but I cain't. It's the end of the world, remember?"

He stared at me and bit his lip. "No, it ain't. Not until we don't have each other no more."

"That'll never happen." I smiled at him. He smiled back then kissed my forehead.

"Thangs will be different from now on, okay." He said. "I'm willin' to try fer you."

I smiled and nodded. "Okay." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. There was something relieving about this short conversation we just had. We hugged once more then I got off his lap. "No more, bein' upset." I said. "Tomorra's Christmas." I let out a small laugh.

"Yeah." He nodded.

* * *

The next day, we had our little Christmas celebration. We all exchanged gifts. I gave the babies their coloring books and supplies. They seemed to like them, everyone smiled. Rick, Maggie and Glenn thanked me for getting them those things.

My Secret Santa was Glenn, he got me a hat with matching gloves and I scarf. "Thank you." I said. "They're so cute! And feel super nice."

"Thank Maggie." Glenn said. "She's the one who gave me the idea."

"Ya told 'er?" I put my hands on my hips. "You ain't supposed to tell no one!"

"Believe me, honey." Maggie said. "It's a good thang he told me. He was gonna get you a surf board." She rolled her eyes.

I laughed. "What? I don't even know how to surf." Everyone laughed. "Well, here." I handed Abraham his bottle of whiskey. "Sorry, I didn't know what to get you."

"Don't be sorry." He said looking at it. "Good enough for me." I smiled at him. Sasha smacked his arm and laughed. They started dating a while back.

Everyone finished exchanging gifts. "Hey, who got Daryl?" Maggie asked. "I didn't see no one give him anythang."

"No one got me cuz I didn't put my name in the hat." Daryl stated.

"Oh, Daryl." Carol said.

"Aw, come on." Someone said.

"It's fine. I didn't care about it." My brother said. I gave him a sad look, he noticed and I could tell he regretted something. "…but it's okay." He reassured everyone. He ran his hand down the back of my head. "Imma go fer a smoke." I watched my brother walk off the porch to the end of the driveway. I followed him. I just stood there waiting for him to notice me. Finally he did. "Hey, ya okay?"

I didn't answer him right away. "…you said you'd try." I looked at him sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry." He said and ran a hand through my hair. "But in my defense…I did say that after you guys did the "Secret Santa" thang." He let out a small laugh.

I just kept looking at him. I felt the gift I got for him in my pocket and pulled it out. "Here."

"What's this?" He said taking it from me.

"I gotcha a little somethin'." I stated. He gave me a weird look. "I know you'll probably thank it's dumb, but I just really wanted to get ya somethin'." Tears began to form in my eyes. "I know ya didn't get nothin' fer Christmas before." I put my head down. "You can open it now."

He hesitated then slowly opened it. "A rock?"

I giggled. "It's a stone. A worry stone." I stated. "I made it into a necklace."

He took it out and got a better look at it. "It's nice, but…why?"

I swallowed hard. "It's cuz ya worry too much. About me, about the group, about everythang." I said. "But ya don't gotta worry no more. Cuz I'm safe. _We're_ safe. And we got each other and always will." I smiled at him. "I know it's not much and it's kinda corny, but—

"I love it." He said cutting me off.

"Really? Ya do?"

"Course." He nodded. "I love anythang from you." I smiled at him. "Wanna put it on me?" He handed it to me, I unhooked it and put it around his neck then closed it. "How's it look?" He asked.

"It looks great on you." I said then sniffled. A sob escaped.

"Hey, no tears." He said and wiped them with his thumb.

"Sorry." I smiled. He put his arm around me and kissed my cheek.

"I love you so much." He said. "And thank you fer the gift. I like it a lot."

"I'm glad." I said wiping away the old tears. "And I love you, too."

He gave me a half smile. "Come on, let's go back up and join the others."

"Yeah." I nodded.

* * *

The rest of the night went perfect. We all sat around together and told stories and laughed. I sang a few Christmas songs for everyone and we ate a nice dinner. I smiled while looking around at everyone. It was just nice having everyone together. It was the best Christmas I ever had. Well, the only Christmas I ever had. But I still think this one would have been the best anyway. I looked at Daryl, my big brother, my favorite person in the whole world and smiled at him. He smiled back. He told me he would try, and I believe him.

* * *

 **Well, this is the end for this story now. I hope you all liked it. I got a little emotional at the end because this is it for Leann. I'm not doing another sequel to this. I'm going to have a hard time letting this character go, so I will have to do one-shots with them every once in a while. I would just like to thank** **everyone for the reviews, favorites and follows! It really means so much to me! Please give this story one last review! Thank you and love you all!**


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